Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah confirmed to be seriously considering veteran free agent to fortify important position

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 […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center.
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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.

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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."

The Vikings learned the hard way in 2023 when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon what happens when you ahve to start backup quarterbacks for the majority of hte season. It's not a fun time, especially with the state of the quarterback position in today's National Football League.

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:

  1. They could bring back Jones as a backup to J.J. McCarthy next season
  2. If Jones leaves for another opportunity, he could bring back a compensatory selection

On Friday when the decision was made to release Jones, I wrote about the idea of a compensatory selection and how veteran backup quarterback contracts would make it likely he qualifies for the formula.

Think about it: Darnold got $10 million, Jacoby Brissett got $8 million, Marcus Mariota got $6 million, and Drew Lock got $5 million. All of those contracts qualify for the compensatory pick formula.

Is Jones a good quarterback? Good is a relative term, but Jones has had stretches where he has played well in his career. Even if it's just a $5 million deal to be a backup, he would qualify for the formula, which could net the Vikings a compensatory draft pick. They have a projected $75 million in salary cap space and having one more player sign with another team would be a huge benefit.

We know how much that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah likes to utilize asset management and finding ways to acquire assets for the NFL Draft is an objectively good thing. Nobody wants Jones to have to play, but it would be a good thing to have for that just in case scenario.

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