Daniel Jones said he wanted to sign with a contender. In the end, the contender might be the real winner. Regardless of whether the quarterback plays a snap for the Vikings this year, his signing boosts their ability to get a premium compensatory selection in the 2026 draft.
Each spring, the NFL awards bonus selections called compensatory picks in the draft to teams with a net loss of unrestricted free agents from the prior offseason. In Minnesota’s case, landing Jones means that if he signs as an unrestricted free agent with another club this upcoming spring, he would increase the Vikings’ ability to receive one of those selections. Some of the most impactful compensatory selections have been Tom Brady, Brian Dawkins, Hines Ward and Mike Vrabel as well as Super Bowl heroes David Tyree, Ahmad Bradshaw and Malcolm Smith.
The compensatory formula isn’t public information but draft analyst Lance Zierlein explained the process well in May while projecting team-by-team awards for this April. The addition of Jones would benefit the Vikings in 2026.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday afternoon that Jones is expected to sign a practice-squad contract on Friday. Per Adam Schefter and Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, the Vikings will sign Jones to a one-year deal worth $375,000. And while he’ll start on the practice squad, Jones must finish the season on the active roster to count in that pool of 2025 Vikings unrestricted free agents that will help determine compensatory draft choices.
Another quarterback in that unrestricted free-agent pool will be a 27-year-old Sam Darnold, who leads Minnesota (9-2) against Arizona (6-5) on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium (1 p.m. ET, FOX). Darnold, who passed for a season-best 330 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in last week’s win, should be a coveted name on the market in 3½ months. Darnold leads the NFL in games with a 100.0 passer rating this season (eight) and has already established a career best with 21 touchdown passes.
Of course, O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have plenty of options and could re-sign Darnold or Jones. But as of now, they have just one quarterback under contract next season, first-round selection J.J. McCarthy, who sustained a season-ending knee injury during the preseason. While McCarthy has undergone two surgeries to address meniscus and swelling issues, Seifert reported that the Vikings believe the rookie is on schedule to return in time for 2025.
According to OvertheCap.com, Aaron Jones, Harrison Smith and Stephon Gilmore are also big Vikings names expected to hit free agency at the start of the league year in March.
Fantastic four: Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson needs 61 receiving yards on Sunday to become only the fourth player ever with 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first five NFL seasons, joining Mike Evans, A.J. Green and Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
For more information on the Vikings and Cardinals, visit the Minnesota and Arizona team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
Discover more from Pro Football Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.