When will Daniel Jones make his Vikings debut?

The best thing that Daniel Jones could have done was get out of New York. The second best thing was ending up in Minnesota. What better player to learn from than Sam Darnold?

Patience is the best thing Jones needs as he tries to revive his career. Rushing to a team in need of a quarterback wasn’t going to help him. Sometimes time is the most valuable therapy. 

Look at what happened with Anthony Richardson or Bryce Young. They were benched for their veteran counterparts. They’ve each made triumphant returns to the lineup. And then look at Baker Mayfield, he needed to hop around to a few teams and sit out some games before he got the opportunity in Tampa Bay. 

And of course there’s Darnold. Who was finally able to make an impact on a franchise this season in Minnesota. Jones couldn’t have a better role model and he faces the same situation Darnold did the last few years. 

He can learn a few things from Darnold, both as he looks to re-establish himself in the NFL and as he hopes to grow from his terrible tenure with the Giants. 

Daniel Jones won't make Vikings debut until Sam Darnold opens the door for it

Per The Insiders on NFL Gameday on NFL Network, the Vikings are in no rush to activate Jones to the 53-man roster. They signed him to their practice squad last week and are taking their time getting him ready. 

Fans shouldn't even expect to see Jones suited up for a game as Darnold's backup for a few weeks, short of an emergency.

The biggest reason is because Darnold is still playing at a high level and there’s no urgency for Jones right now. This gives him time to truly learn the system and not feel like they are rushing his progress. 

Also Darnold is healthy and has been all year so they don’t feel like he could miss any time at the moment. But they also want to make sure Jones is truly prepared if that time comes. And the good thing about that is the healthier they keep Jones now, the better off it could be for next year. 

Darnold has presumably played himself onto someone else’s roster for next season. The Vikings will probably not pay him whatever he’s going to ask as they have JJ McCarthy coming off IR next year and Jones in training. 

They’re in the best situation possible. Darnold can lead them to the playoffs and potentially a playoff run. All the while, Darnold can prepare Jones to take his place next season. And then they can work on McCarthy, who was always going to be their long term answer. 

Jones doesn’t need to rush getting on the field with Minnesota this season. Taking this season to learn the Vikings system and sign a similar contract Darnold did last season could be the best thing to help his NFL career resurgence.