Daniel Jones has found a new home after clearing waivers earlier in the week.
The former New York Giants quarterback will sign with the Minnesota Vikings, FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schulz reported Wednesday.
With the move, the Vikings have a backup in place in case starter Sam Darnold goes down with an injury. While Darnold is having a breakout year and has led Minnesota to a 9-2 record, he had to briefly leave their Week 12 win over the Chicago Bears before returning to game action.
Minnesota was set to have J.J. McCarthy, who it took with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Darnold compete for the starting job ahead of the season, but the rookie suffered a season-ending meniscus tear in August. Nick Mullens is the Vikings’ current backup quarterback.
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Jones, the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, became a free agent for the first time in his career when he asked for his release. The Giants granted his request on Nov. 22, days after he was benched for backup Tommy DeVito.
Jones’ best season came in 2022, Brian Daboll’s first year as head coach of the Giants. He put up personal-best numbers in several categories — including passing yards (3,205), passer rating (92.5), QBR (62.9), interception rate (1.1) and rushing touchdowns (7) — as New York made the postseason and upset the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round.
The team gave Jones a four-year, $160 million extension in the 2023 offseason, but the 27-year-old couldn’t match his highs from 2022. He was limited to just six games in 2023 due to a neck injury and an ACL tear. In 10 starts for the Giants this season, he averaged just 207 yards per game and threw eight touchdowns to seven interceptions.
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