The Minnesota Vikings signed Daniel Jones to their practice squad, they announced Friday, and the former Giants quarterback addressed his decision five days after New York released him.
“You look offensively at what they were able to do,” he said. “The system, coach (Kevin) O’Connellhis staff, there’s just a lot of good things happening across the board – as a team, as an organization, but especially on offense. So I’m happy to be there and help where I can.”
O’Connell was the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders in 2019 when Jones entered the NFL Draft as a first-round prospect out of Duke.
“He played a position in the league and has a lot of experience as a coach,” Jones said of O’Connell, who lasted five seasons in the NFL (2008-2012) before starting coaching in 2015. “I got to know him through the draft a little bit when he was in Washington, so that was cool. His system has been successful. He knows the quarterback play, knows how to build the quarterback environment and I think he’s there Just being a part of it and learning from him and his whole staff was a great opportunity for me.”
In 70 games (69 starts) over six seasons with the Giants, Jones went 24-44-1 while completing 1,437 of 2,241 passes for 14,582 yards and 70 touchdowns to 47 interceptions. He rounded out his production with 399 rushes for 2,179 yards and 15 touchdowns while fumbling 50 times.
“You always want to grow and improve and work on your craft, see where you can get better and pick up certain things,” said Jones, who joins a position group that includes former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold as a starter. “So yeah, I’m looking forward to that, but more than anything I’m looking forward to helping – being part of a good quarterback room, being part of a good offense and seeing where I can help.”
