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Vikings Facing Competition Landing Ideal Sam Darnold Replacement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Trevor Squire | Last updated Mar 8, 2025 4:22 PM ET

It seems like a forgone conclusion that Sam Darnold will not be with the Minnesota Vikings next season.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Saturday that the Seattle Seahawks are looking to be Darnold's new home after they traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are "now focused on other options they’ve been pursuing in recent weeks," Pelissero said.

Atop those options is the obvious: Daniel Jones.

The Athletic's Diana Russini reported the Vikings are attempting to pivot to Jones, who they took for a trial run for the remainder of the 2024 season after his release from the New York Giants.

However, there is a snag in Minnesota as a deal has yet to be finalized with Jones.

According to Russini, Jones is garnering interest from the Indianapolis Colts, whose quarterback situation remains murky with Anthony Richardson heading into his third year.

J.J. McCarthy is poised to compete for the Vikings' starting job, and considering the confidence the team has in the 22-year-old, Jones could see the Colts as a more appealing avenue to playing time.

Richardson was benched last season for veteran Joe Flacco but returned to action late in the season. In 11 games, Richardson threw 1,814 yards passing, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

While McCarthy still has plenty of promise as the Vikings' quarterback of the future, Richardson has to prove his worth in his final season before Indianapolis decides whether to exercise his fifth-year option.

Jones has a chance to take over as the Colts quarterback and land a multi-year extension by next offseason if Richardson cannot change the course of his career.

Entering his seventh season at the age of 27, Jones earned high praise from Kevin O'Connell from his brief tenure of nearly two months with the team.

“I have a lot of confidence that Daniel could have a ton of success in our offense," O'Connell said Feb. 7 on Pro Football Talk. "I can’t tell you how many times Justin [Jefferson] or Jordan [Addison] or one of these guys at a practice would say ‘that was an unbelievable throw. This guy can really throw it.’ "

NFL free agency begins on Wednesday, March 12.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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