EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) – It’s not official yet, but the Minnesota Vikings expanded their quarterback room on Wednesday by adding former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to their practice squad.

Sam Darnold said he received a text message from Jones just as the news broke Wednesday morning. Kevin O’Connell said he expects Jones to be in Minnesota Friday morning. Jones was benched last week in favor of Tommy DeVito and released last Saturday.

“I’m really happy to be a teammate with him. I’ve spent some time with him in the past, great guy. “I’m just excited to get him here and be teammates with him,” Darnold said. “He has played a lot of football, so he will help this football team to draw on his experience.”

Why it matters

It became pretty clear that Jones needed a fresh start. The former No. 6 overall pick in 2019 has just 24 wins in 69 career starts. The Vikings held him to 186 yards and two interceptions in Week 1, including Andrew Van Ginkel’s pick-6.

Two years ago, in the playoffs, Jones paced the Vikings for nearly 400 total yards and two scores in an improbable victory at US Bank Stadium. There is no danger of Darnold losing his starting job unless he gets injured. It’s about whether Jones can learn the offense quickly enough to be the No. 2 guy this season.

He could be the No. 2 guy behind JJ McCarthy next season when Darnold explores free agency.

“Business is what it is. Decisions will be made that are beyond your control. I have dealt with it in the past, I will continue to deal with it,” Darnold said. “If DJ comes here and learns from us, we learn from him, it will be an amazing relationship.”

Cornhole opponent?

Darnold and Jones are friends outside of football. In 2020, there was even a friendly game at a cornhole event at the Super Bowl. Darnold won 21:11.

“I’ll let him tell this story. Maybe I won, it was a fun competition we did at a Super Bowl event. Kudos to the Cornhole League,” Darnold said.