Vikings Top 2 in Odds to Sign $160 Million QB as Sam Darnold Replacement

The Minnesota Vikings don't need a quarterback at the moment, but they probably will come next spring. 

Sam Darnold has played well enough on a one-year contract to rebuild his value and will also have timing on his side when he hits free agency in March 2025, as he should be the most coveted signal caller on the market.

Minnesota will wipe $62 million in dead salary cap hits off its books next fiscal year, though the team won't likely want to put a good portion of those saving toward increasing Darnold's paycheck from the $10 million it's paying him now to potentially more than $30 million annually across multiple years starting in 2025. 

J.J. McCarthy is waiting in the wings, but he won't have a regular season snap to his credit ahead of Week 1 next year. And beyond McCarthy, the Vikings don't currently have any QBs under contract beyond the 2024 campaign. 

Enter former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who that franchise released on Friday after inking him to a four-year, $160 million extension in March 2023. Jones is now free to pursue employment with any team that wants him, though the list of those franchises may not be extensive due to his struggles on the field this season and his health issues in 2023. 

Jones threw for 2,070 yards, 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions across 10 games for the Giants this year, while rushing the football for 265 yards and 2 scores, per Pro Football Reference. He missed 11 games last season due to an ACL tear. 

But while teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets may not be interested in Jones as a starter, he profiles as a likely backup heading into his age-28 campaign and will likely be available at significant value relative to his draft position (No. 6 overall in 2019) and history as a starter in the league.  

Those factors should make him a reasonable target for the Vikings, who will want to add a veteran to bolster the QB position group over the offseason, but won't want to spend starting-caliber money to do it. 

As such, the sportsbook Bovada listed Minnesota on Nov. 22 as the second-most likely landing spot for Jones behind only the Carolina Panthers. 

Minnesota opened at +300 to land the now former Giants QB, while the Panthers came in at +170, per Bovada's odds as shared by the ML Football X account. The Steelers were third at +800 and the Browns were tied for sixth at +1000.

Pittsburgh and Cleveland are relevant in that each could potentially have a starting job to offer Jones in 2025, depending upon what happens with current starters Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, respectively. 

Wilson and Justin Fields will both hit free agency in March, and the Steelers aren't likely to retain both, though Wilson is the more likely pick to stick with the franchise next season. The Browns are stuck with Watson and his albatross of a contract for the next two years, but any opportunity to replace him at any kind of value would probably be welcomed with open arms by Cleveland's front office.