Ex-Giants QB Daniel Jones Picks His Next Team

Former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has signed with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.

Nov 3, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) celebrates after scoring a 2nd half touchdown against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has made a decision about his next team, and his choice is somewhat ironic.

Jones is signing with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad after having narrowed down his options. Schultz reported that the former Giants quarterback, who was benched last week and then requested and was granted his release a day before the team hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sought a playoff contender who had a “quarterback-friendly offensive system” and a solid coaching staff “known for maximizing player potential.”

Jones will receive a little over $100,000 for the rest of the season if he stays on the practice squad, with the potential for an increase if he is added to the 53-man roster. That means the Giants get a modest cap credit of at least $100,000, which stands to increase if Jones is elevated to the Vikings roster.

Jones’s choice of the Vikings is ironic because that was the team against which he, as a member of the Giants, had his finest career game, coming in the 2022 Wild Card round. The Giants, who in 2022 made the postseason for the first time since 2016, won that game 31-24, their first postseason win since 2011. 

In that game, Jones, the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2019, finished 24 of 35 for 301 yards and two touchdowns for a 114.1 rating. That performance capped a career season for Jones, who that following offseason signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension with the Giants. 

Jones’s choice is also interesting because another former New York first-round quarterback, Sam Darnold, is currently having himself a comeback type of season after not finding success with the Jets, who selected him in the first round of the 2018 draft.  

After being unloaded by the Jets and making stops in San Francisco and Carolina, Darnold signed a one-year contract with the Vikings worth $10 million which also has four voidable years between 2025-2028, the contract voiding on February 20, 2025. He currently has a 9-2 record with the Vikings, a team that crushed the Giants in Week 1 by a score of 28-6.

Minnesota, who also drafted rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round this season–McCarthy is out for the year after having knee surgery prior to the season–is on its way to locking up a postseason berth.

Jones, who took over as starting quarterback for the Giants three games into his rookie season, finished his Giants career having appeared in 70 games with 69 starts and a 24-44-1 record. He completed 1,437 out of 2,241 pass attempts (64.1%) for 14,582 yards and 70 touchdowns to 47 interceptions.

Jones also rushed for 2,179 yards on 399 carries and 15 touchdowns. His best season as a rusher came in 2022 when he recorded 708 rushing yards on 120 carries.

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