Yes, most definitely! You can never have enough QBs.
Happy Tuesday!
Minnesota Vikings
Report: Vikings among likeliest teams to sign Daniel Jones
The Minnesota Vikings are set at quarterback with Sam Darnold, but there appears to be an increasing likelihood that Daniel Jones could be dressed in purple and gold before the end of the season.
“The Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings are two of the likeliest teams to land free-agent quarterback Daniel Jones, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning.
“But they are hardly the only ones. Jones wants to sign with a playoff contender, and what happens in Week 12 is expected to influence his decision.”
O’Connell mostly declines comment on buzz linking Daniel Jones to Vikings
Kevin O’Connell was asked by ESPN’s Kevin Seifert about the Jones reports on Monday. He unsurprisingly declined to make any comment on whether the Vikings have interest in signing him, but he also didn’t shut down the possibility entirely. O’Connell had positive things to say about the ex-Giants starter.
“I’m not gonna really get into that today, but I will say, tons of respect for Daniel Jones as a player and a person,” O’Connell said. “Got to know him through the draft process years ago, and I’m sure now that he’s a free agent and there’s probably a ton of league-wide interest in him, Daniel’s gonna make the decision that’s best for him and his career moving forward.
“I’m sure he’s working through that process right now, but I really can’t get into too much about any short-term or long-term (possibilities). I can just say I’ve been a fan of Daniel’s for a long time. Hope wherever his next stop takes him, it’s a good opportunity for him.”
Seifert followed up by asking more pointedly if the Vikings have interest. “Really not gonna get into that at this time,” O’Connell replied with a slight smile.
The Minnesota Vikings are one of the two likeliest teams to sign former first round pick Daniel Jones when he clears waivers on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This would be a really interesting move for the Vikings. This offseason, the Vikings chose to move on from second year quarterback Jaren Hall to bring in veteran Brett Rypien for the third quarterback spot. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke about how important it is to have three quarterbacks you trust and why they made the move.
“Yeah, I think Jaren’s [Hall] done a great job for us. Obviously, he had really improved over the preseason. I use that development word a lot, and with quarterbacks, you don’t want to throw these guys in too early. And I think with him, we just want more time to pour into him. That’s really it is. And I’ve learned from last season that you’re either one snap away or your one snap from being one snap away. And we just wanted to be in a position where we felt – adding Brett [Rypien] to the room, we feel good about that decision – but also giving us more time to pour into Jaren and work with him if he so chooses to do that.”
If you can get a quarterback with legitimate starting experience that can also use his legs, it’s a no brainer. Plus, Jones will likely take the vet minimum because the Giants will be paying him $13.8 million the rest of the season.
The other added aspect for the Vikings is twofold:
They could bring back Jones as a backup to J.J. McCarthy next season
If Jones leaves for another opportunity, he could bring back a compensatory selection
Report: Daniel Jones expected to make his decision Tuesday
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones will make his decision today on which team he will join.
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Gets Honest on Frustration After Bears Win
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson wasn’t thrilled despite his team’s 30-27 overtime win over the Chicago Bears on November 24.
Minnesota Star Tribune beat reporter Andrew Krammer took note of Jefferson’s mood in the locker room after a game that saw him catch just one pass through regulation and finish with two receptions for 27 yards — a season-low for the superstar receiver.
He admitted there was some “frustration,” but the win was all that mattered.
“I mean, I always want to have an impact on the game,” Jefferson said. “And I always want to create some spark for our team. Defenders, the way they cover and the way the game goes, it might not happen all the time. So, it’s frustrating at times. But we got the win and that’s all that matters.”
Ahead of the Vikings’ Week 12 win over the Bears, head coach Kevin O’Connell made a candid statement about the type of defensive coverage that is leveraged against Jefferson every week.
“I hope people understand, I watch football around the league. What he is playing against is different than what anybody else is playing against week in, week out. I have nothing but respect — we have some phenomenal receivers in our league — but I just hope people understand exactly what he plays against. I promise you folks, it’s not coachspeak. If you play pickup basketball, head down to the gym and have 3-out-of-5 guys cover you. That’s what people attempt to do every single week and Justin doesn’t blink,” O’Connell said. “We work through it together, and he makes play after play for us when we need it.”
Matthew Coller: Studs and duds from Vikings’ victory over Chicago
What went right
Sam Darnold, in every way possible
The Vikings QB produced the third game of his season that graded by PFF over 80 (84.7), raising his overall grade on the year to 81.9, which ranks 7th in the NFL. He ranks 8th in traditional quarterback rating and continues to increase the sample size of strong performance. Going back to 2022, he has a QB rating of 97.7 and 30:14 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Vikings also rank as the 7th best passing game in the NFL by Expected Points Added.
The bottom line: Darnold has been really, really good.
…
Jordan Addison’s career day
Hockenson in clutch moments
Justin Jefferson doing everything else
Pass pro, particularly Garrett Bradbury
The Vikings center had his best game of the year in pass protection — a clear sign that Akiem Hicks no longer plays for the Bears. Bradbury received an 80.8 grade and gave up just one QB pressure on the day. This season his pass blocking is hovering around mid-pack but his run blocking has been well above average and he’s grading as the ninth best center in the NFL
While Dalton Risner, playing in his second game as the starter taking over for Ed Ingram, did not score high marks from the PFF system (49.9 run blocking, 58.1 pass blocking), O’Connell said that he’s making progress since returning from injury.
“I thought he was absolutely part of the play style that I saw out of that interior in this game,” the head coach said. “I thought from Tennessee [Titans] to yesterday…there was some improvement there for sure. Also, just some more comfort. The guy didn’t get any preseason time. We’ve been ramping him up, up until we decided to make the move. I thought he did a lot of good things against Tennessee and then improved on that so excited about where Dalton is and I think you’re feeling that veteran presence in there.”
Minnesota Vikings Injury Update: Latest News on Darnold, Robinson and Pace Jr
Kevin O’Connell gives update on injured Minnesota Vikings
After the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media about the win and the team’s injuries. He didn’t share much about Cam Robinson or Ivan Pace Jr., saying updates would come after Monday’s evaluations.
On Monday, O’Connell didn’t have much more to offer, though he did say that Cam Robinson has had this type of injury before, and played through it. Unfortunately, things may not be as optimistic for Ivan Pace Jr, though we will all cross our fingers and hope that is incorrect.
5. Minnesota Vikings 9-2 (6)
The Vikings are cruising with their defense and offense complementing each other well, and they won’t relent while staying right behind the Lions in the NFC North.
Nick Muse waived by Vikings on his birthday, just as brother Tanner was 3 years ago
“Look at that! You know what they call that? They call that NFL history,” Nick said in a video posted on social media. “How many times has two brothers both get cut on their birthdays?”
Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:
- No discussion of politics or religion
- No feeding of the trolls
- Leave the gender hatred at the door
- Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
- Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags
- No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer
- If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
- While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm
