EAGAN, Minn. – The smile said it all. Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was pressed Monday about his interest in signing free-agent quarterback Daniel Jones and said ten words – one of the shortest answers he has ever given at a press conference – and then pursed his lips in an unsuccessful attempt to suppress a growing grin.

“I really won’t go into that at this point,” O’Connell said.

There will be no reason to skip the topic on Wednesday or in the future after the Vikings signed the former New York Giants quarterback to a one-year contract for the remainder of the season. But an updated question remains valid: What exactly was there to smile about?

Jones failed so spectacularly as the Giants’ starter this season that the team decided it would be better for the franchise to not just bench him, but bury him on the depth chart and then waive him rather than one risking injury that could trigger guarantees for 2025. Since New York drafted him No. 6 in 2019, Jones ranks 27th out of 39 qualified quarterbacks in QBR.

Get someone who will look at you the way Kevin O’Connell looks at someone when asked if they’re interested in signing Daniel Jones. pic.twitter.com/OD0kCGdlnS

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) November 27, 2024

The answer lies in the complicated quarterback matrix the Vikings find themselves in. She appears to remain inactive until the offseason, but will now take a prominent place in the team’s public discussion.

Starter Sam Darnold joined Minnesota on a one-year deal in the offseason and has exceeded expectations by leading the Vikings to a 9-2 record. He has already surpassed his career record for touchdown passes (20) and was able to score a hefty agent contract.

Darnold is 27 years old and may be at the peak of his career. Re-signing him would make sense from a purely abstract perspective. But rookie JJ McCarthy, the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft, is the team’s quarterback of the future. Adding a market-rate veteran contract for Darnold would negate the roster-building advantage that comes with a starter on a rookie contract. Additionally, McCarthy’s performance during training camp suggested he was close to starting even then. At the time, O’Connell said, “I really think JJ kind of confirmed to me and a lot of our coaches and players that we have the right guy in house for the future.”

McCarthy is also the only quarterback under contract through the 2025 season, as backups Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien’s contracts also expire. Even assuming McCarthy makes a full recovery from surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee, which required a second surgery to address swelling earlier this month, the Vikings would have to pair him with some veteran.

That’s probably the best way to think about Wednesday’s move. It’s pretty unlikely that the Vikings will need Jones this season, assuming Darnold stays healthy and maintains his level of play. (Vikings fans will remember, however, that the team had four quarterbacks in 2023. That can happen.)

O’Connell has earned a reputation as one of the NFL’s best quarterback teachers, and his work with Darnold this season should be a resume-defining accomplishment. He led the team’s transition from Kirk Cousins ​​this spring, ultimately settling on a combination of Darnold and McCarthy. On Monday, he said he had a strong assessment of Jones before the 2019 draft. That season, O’Connell served as Washington’s offensive coordinator and ultimately watched as the Giants selected Jones at No. 6 while Washington selected Dwayne Haskins at No. 15.

If nothing else, the Vikings will get a chance to see Jones up close and work with him months before they have to make an offseason decision about building the position around McCarthy.

Jones, on the other hand, will have the advantage of attending one of the NFL’s top quarterback schools before having to market as a free agent. He will start on the Vikings’ practice squad, so he also has the chance to sign with another team if a starting quarterback is lost in the next three weeks.

Could Jones be the player the Vikings want behind or alongside McCarthy in 2025? Perhaps. That would put Jones in a similar position to Darnold as the 49ers’ backup in 2023, a move that spurred his arrival in Minnesota. There’s no harm in finding out sooner rather than later. The only risk, however, is adding another experienced quarterback in the middle of a playoff push, which suggests the team is already contemplating the moment when its current starter moves on.

Darnold has steadfastly weathered some ups and downs during his short tenure with the Vikings, and he has been careful to avoid public discussions about his past or his future. So Jones’ arrival shouldn’t play a big role for him, but it does require at least an additional layer of leadership from O’Connell, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.

There will be lots of smiles in Minnesota today – along with reminders that the future can come sooner than you think.