Vіkіngs Nаmed Bettіng Fаvorіte to Lаnd $160 Mіllіon QB

Getty Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell on the field after facing the Tennessee Titans.
The Minnesota Vikings are favorites to be Daniel Jones‘ next team after the New York Giants released him on Friday, November 22.

Bovada released Jones’ next team odds after his release and listed the Vikings with the second-best odds at +300, only trailing the Carolina Panthers at +170. For reference, +300 odds suggest the Vikings have a 25% of signing Jones, while the Panthers have a 37% likelihood of landing Jones.

Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract in the 2023 offseason, enters waivers where he will wait if any team will pick up the remaining $11.8 million guaranteed in his contract. If he clears waivers on Monday, he can choose to sign with any team, likely on a more affordable contract for the remainder of the season.

The 27-year-old quarterback offered a goodbye statement on Thursday before requesting his release after he was benched after the Giants’ 2-8 start to the season.

“Daniel came to see me this morning and asked if we would release him,’’ Giants president Thomas Mara said in a statement. “We mutually agreed that would be best for him and the team. Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way. His handling of the situation yesterday exemplifies just that. We are all disappointed in how things have worked out. We hold Daniel in high regard and have a great appreciation for him. We wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Sam Darnold has been the saving grace of the Vikings’ season after J.J. McCarthy was ruled out for the year following knee surgery.

While Minnesota is confident McCarthy will be ready for the 2025 season, McCarthy is the only quarterback under contract beyond this season.

Nick Mullens, Brett Rypien and Darnold are all poised to reach free agency. Darnold is likely to land a starting job elsewhere and would be difficult to convince to come back on a cheaper deal to compete with McCarthy.

Mullens is the longest-tenured Vikings quarterback in Kevin O’Connell‘s offense, however, pivoting to him outside of a midgame fill-in is not a recipe for success.

The Vikings need a capable backup who could take over if McCarthy needs more time to develop or goes down. A quarterback who can maximize the team’s playoff-caliber roster, much like how Darnold has this season.

That’s what makes Jones an intriguing prospect in Minnesota. He likely won’t garner interest as a starter in free agency and could be acquired on a more affordable deal.

In exchange, he’ll have a year to learn in one of the most quarterback-friendly environments and potentially follow in Darnold’s footsteps.

GettyPanthers quarterback Bryce Young (L) with backup Andy Dalton (R) at Bank of America Stadium on August 25, 2023.
Considering the Vikings’ ideal backup to McCarthy, it should be a veteran quarterback who has ample playing experience and is an asset in the classroom.

The 2025 free-agent pool has several promising candidates.

Justin Fields is coming off a 4-2 run with the Pittsburgh Steelers before Russell Wilson, who is also a 2025 free agent, returned from injury. Fields would be less of a mentor but would likely give Minnesota the highest ceiling for its backup position.

Of course, the Aaron Rodgers-t0-Minnesota pipedream is alive, but he’s unlikely to take a backup job and would rather retire than warm the bench.

Other less flashy but equally serviceable options include Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota, Taylor Heinecke and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Dalton stands out due to his willingness to mentor Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. He’s also started in place of Young and performed well.
Trevor Squire is a sports journalist covering the NFL and NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks. Trevor studied journalism at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, making stops at the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @trevordsquire. More about Trevor Squire