Why Rumored Vikings Interest in Daniel Jones Makes Little Sense

Perhaps we shouldn't actually be ruling out Daniel Jones as a quarterback option for the Vikings this month? Since last season ended, the assumption has been that the Colts would find a way to keep Jones, who played so well for them before tearing his Achilles in early December. But negotiations between the two sides have apparently proved trickier than anticipated.

With no long-term contract agreement at the moment, Indianapolis is reportedly considering using either the franchise tag or the rarer transition tag on Jones before Tuesday afternoon's deadline to do so. If it's the latter, other teams would be able to make offers to Jones, but the Colts would have the ability to match any offer sheet.

Interestingly, the Vikings have now been mentioned by multiple insiders as a team that could pursue Jones if he receives the transition tag from the Colts. "You just wonder about a team like Minnesota," Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. That was followed by Peter Schrager, Schefter's ESPN colleague, bringing up the Vikings on Get Up on Tuesday.

"There's also another team that's lingering there," Schrager said. "The transition tag means someone else can make an offer, the Colts just would have the last opportunity to match that offer. So who would think Daniel Jones? The team I would watch, as a possible long shot but also one that could be angling here, the Minnesota Vikings. Keep an eye on the Vikings if the transition tag is applied."

There's no doubt that Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings are fond of Jones, who they brought into their quarterback room for the final six weeks of the 2024 season after he was let go by the Giants. He was their fall-back plan if Sam Darnold left last spring, and they were left reeling when Jones instead decided to sign with the Colts. In another universe, Jones might've led the Vikings to a successful 2025 season.

Daniel Jones | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

But this time around, any rumored Vikings interest in Jones makes very little sense. They simply are not in a salary cap position where making a competitive offer for Jones — which almost certainly means at least $40 million per year — is even remotely logical. There's also the reality that he's coming off of a torn Achilles and has had two good seasons in a seven-year NFL career.

The Vikings would be foolish to fully commit to Jones as their franchise quarterback, to the tune of $40+ million, three months and change after his Achilles injury. It makes far more sense to pursue someone like Geno Smith or Kyler Murray, who could sign for a minimum salary after being released due to the guaranteed money in their previous contract. That gives them a veteran option with some upside while also not entirely closing the door on J.J. McCarthy's future.

Even with the Vikings being floated as a team that could pursue Jones, our stance is that it would be shocking if he's back in Minnesota in 2026. It seems more likely that his camp may be trying to use a team like the Vikings as leverage in order to get a deal done with Indianapolis.