The Minnesota Vikings need to add a veteran quarterback this offseason and a new rumor reveals the team has its eye on Daniel Jones.
While the expectation has been that the Indianapolis Colts would be able to hammer out a long-term deal with Jones ahead of free agency, that has not happened and it doesn’t appear the two sides are particularly close, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports that Indy could slap the franchise tag on Jones to give itself more time, but that would mean wide receiver Alec Pierce will likely hit the open market, decreasing the chances he returns to the Colts.
As for the Vikings, Jones reports that Minnesota is “lurking” around the former first-round pick, who is projected by Spotrac to get a four-year, $174 million contract.
“But the Minnesota Vikings are lurking,” Jones reported. “Multiple sources have indicated the Vikings are closely monitoring the situation with Indy and Jones. While the Vikings don’t have the cap space right now and would need some cap gymnastics to clear enough space to bring him into the fold, the belief is that the Vikings could shift into gear after Tuesday’s deadline if the Colts don’t issue a tag on Jones.”
While the tag would obviously complicate matters, the Vikings could still make a play for Jones in that scenario depending on which tag the Colts use.
If it’s the non-exclusive franchise tag, that will likely cancel the Vikings’ interest, as Minnesota would have to get Jones to agree to an offer sheet and if the Colts don’t match, the Vikings would have to give up two first-round picks.
But if the Colts use the transition tag, which is certainly possible considering it would be less expensive, the Vikings can make Jones an offer and wouldn’t be required to give up draft capital if Indy doesn’t match.
There is risk with acquiring Jones, though.
Not only would the Vikings have to offer him a big contract to fend the Colts off, but they would also be getting a signal-caller who is coming off a torn Achilles, leaving him uncertain to be ready for the start of 2026.
We tend to believe signing Jones just won’t be in the cards for the Vikings. There just seems to be too many question marks and roadblocks to make it work, with Minnesota’s lack of cap space being one of many.
