The saga of Daniel Jones thread

I know the one that starts "I'm a pro---- from dear old Duke" and goes on from there if that's the one you all are referencing
Ahhh one of many songs from the "Gross Bus" that remain fresh in my mind...I wonder whether the band still designates one of the buses thusly haha. That is, if they even travel to any away games.
 
In my defense ... I did say "almost". I'm thinking only two words would get wankered, and I'm not even sure about one of them.
 
This is promising.

The Minnesota Vikings are considering a significant shake-up to their quarterback depth chart, one that would put newcomer Daniel Jones in position to play if starter Sam Darnold is injured or ineffective in the playoffs.


I wouldn't expect Darnold to be "ineffective", he's had a very solid year. But still, if he goes down for any reason, DJ may be the guy asked to step up.
 
The Vikings really do have a very interesting set of decisions to make in the offseason with respect to their QB situation. You have Sam Darnold, who far, far exceeded expectations in what was supposed to be a caretaker role this year, but instead he will probably be top 10 in the MVP voting, and led the team to an absolutely fantastic regular season. And his contract is up after this year. Normally of course you would re-sign him to a big new deal. He is only 27 years old -- in his prime.

And maybe they will re-sign him. But last year they drafted Michigan QB JJ McCarthy in the first round. He is their QB of the future, or so they thought. McCarthy had a season-ending knee injury in the pre-season this year, but he'll be raring to go next year. He should be ready. Not by choice, but he did exactly what most teams would want a rookie QB to do -- watch and learn for a year without having the pressure of playing, and prepare to take over from there.

Hard to imagine either Darnold or McCarthy being very happy about being in a backup role. Do you let Darnold leave on the heels of establishing himself as he did this year? Do you trade a high first round pick like McCarthy before he ever sets foot on the field for you? Neither?

And you have Daniel Jones, who would be one of the top backups in the league. But a number 3? With that salary?

What to do, what to do?
 
The Vikings really do have a very interesting set of decisions to make in the offseason with respect to their QB situation. You have Sam Darnold, who far, far exceeded expectations in what was supposed to be a caretaker role this year, but instead he will probably be top 10 in the MVP voting, and led the team to an absolutely fantastic regular season. And his contract is up after this year. Normally of course you would re-sign him to a big new deal. He is only 27 years old -- in his prime.

And maybe they will re-sign him. But last year they drafted Michigan QB JJ McCarthy in the first round. He is their QB of the future, or so they thought. McCarthy had a season-ending knee injury in the pre-season this year, but he'll be raring to go next year. He should be ready. Not by choice, but he did exactly what most teams would want a rookie QB to do -- watch and learn for a year without having the pressure of playing, and prepare to take over from there.

Hard to imagine either Darnold or McCarthy being very happy about being in a backup role. Do you let Darnold leave on the heels of establishing himself as he did this year? Do you trade a high first round pick like McCarthy before he ever sets foot on the field for you? Neither?

And you have Daniel Jones, who would be one of the top backups in the league. But a number 3? With that salary?

What to do, what to do?
Agree with much of what you are saying. But I don't believe Jones has a contract after this season. So neither side has any obligation to the other. I assume that wherever he goes next year, it will be for a much lower number.

I think this has potentially turned out really well for him as he has gotten to test drive the Vikings organization for a few months to see if he likes the coaches, teammates, etc. If so, ideally for him they let Darnold go get paid big somewhere else, they commit to McCarthy, and Jones is in a strong backup position. So if McCarthy gets injured or is a bust, Jones is ready to go on a team with excellent wide receivers, what appears to be a very good coaching staff, and overall a good setup. I think his odds of finding a place with a guaranteed starting job are pretty slim, so this is what I would hope for.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, McCarthy got hurt so early that they didn't really get to watch him play too much so they are not 100% sure what they have. But clearly they liked what they saw coming out of college when they chose to invest a first round pick in him.
 
I think this has potentially turned out really well for him as he has gotten to test drive the Vikings organization for a few months to see if he likes the coaches, teammates, etc. If so, ideally for him they let Darnold go get paid big somewhere else, they commit to McCarthy, and Jones is in a strong backup position. So if McCarthy gets injured or is a bust, Jones is ready to go on a team with excellent wide receivers, what appears to be a very good coaching staff, and overall a good setup. I think his odds of finding a place with a guaranteed starting job are pretty slim, so this is what I would hope for.
Agreed. Settling in as the backup QB in Minnesota is perfect for Jones.
 
The dilemma (trilemma?) for Minnesota is a financial one, not a football one. Having two really good QBs fight it out for the starting position, and a really good third backup? That's all good. The problem is paying for it.
 
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