The Detroit Lions have owned the NFC North over the past two seasons. As back-to-back division champions, the Lions have posted an 11-1 record against their rivals, giving Lions fans the opportunity to watch everybody catch up.
One of those chances will come with the free agent period. The Lions are in a great position with a high-octane offense and a defense that will recover from having 13 players end the season on injured reserve. While general manager Brad Holmes could make a blockbuster move, it’s more likely that he’ll look to supplement what he has as the other teams take big swings when the period opens on March 12.
That could lead to some division rivals making some embarrassing moves, and a report suggests that one of those moves could be around the corner.
Vikings Reportedly Considering Signing Daniel Jones to Embarrassing Contract
One of the biggest division storylines is with the Minnesota Vikings as they decide what to do with Sam Darnold. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported on Monday that while the Vikings want to keep Darnold as their starter, it may not be possible due to Darnold’s asking price. If Darnold leaves, Minnesota could pivot and lead them to sign Daniel Jones for a premium price.
"The Vikings have numerous holes to fill and must use free agency to do it. They see J.J. McCarthy as their quarterback of the future and don’t want to hinder his progression. They think a better path to building the optimal roster is paying a quarterback like Daniel Jones around $10 million instead of giving Darnold around $35 million. The Vikings’ decision would get tougher if Darnold considered returning for somewhere in the $25 million range."Alec Lewis, The Athletic
With Spotrac projecting Darnold’s market value at $40.1 million, he is unlikely to return to Minnesota next season. McCarthy is the Vikings’ quarterback of the future after being selected with the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft. Both of these facts make sense. But paying Jones $10 million is extremely laughable considering his recent history.
Jones was selected by the New York Giants in the 2019 draft and had four below-average seasons before leading the Giants to a 9-6-1 record as a starter in 2022. A win over the Vikings in the Wild Card round that year helped him earn a four-year, $160 million contract in free agency, but Jones fell comically short of those expectations, throwing for 2,979 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions over the past two seasons.
The Giants pulled the plug after Jones threw for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 10 games last season, and the 27-year-old decided to sign with the Vikings practice squad instead of taking a chance to start somewhere else and will become a free agent next week.
Ideally, the Vikings would like McCarthy to earn the starting job if Darnold leaves – and all signs have been positive in his recovery from a torn meniscus suffered last August. But if he’s not ready, it could open the Jones to start, which would give him a $10 million contract that’s nearly double his $5.1 million market value projection on Spotrac.
The Vikings caught lightning in a bottle when signing Darnold to a similar one-year, $10 million contract last offseason. But Darnold at least showed signs of life, throwing for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions in his final six games with the Carolina Panthers in 2022. It’s hard to believe that Jones would be capable of the same play if he were put into the same situation, giving Lions fans the chance to bask in another embarrassing move for a division rival.