NFL Rumors: Daniel Jones Eyed by Ravens, Vikings amid Raiders, 49ers Contract Buzz

The Baltimore Ravens or Minnesota Vikings could kick the tires on Daniel Jones after the New York Giants released the veteran quarterback, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported Sunday the Ravens and Vikings are among the “likeliest teams” to sign Jones.

Interest in his services is relatively high, though, with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reporting he “likely won’t have to wait long to find his new home.” Rapoport cited the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas as potential landing spots as well.

Jones’ final choice will hinge on what his priorities are.

On Saturday, Schefter reported he “likely will prefer to finish this season on a playoff contending team, where he will be involved in big games, rather than going to a meandering quarterback-needy team not remotely in playoff contention.”

Signing with a contender, however, might mean not playing all that much.

The Ravens and 49ers have firmly entrenched starters with Lamar Jackson and Brock Purdy respectively. In the case of Purdy, a right shoulder injury is keeping him out in Week 12, but head coach Kyle Shanahan has downplayed any “long-term concern.”

Sam Darnold, meanwhile, was listed on the Vikings’ injury report but looks set to start Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

The simple fact is, it’s hard to see a contender signing Jones with an eye toward starting him when he played poorly enough to get benched by a 2-8 team. In 10 starts with New York, he had 2,070 passing yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 79.4 quarterback rating and 46.5 QBR were both the second-lowest of his career.

The Raiders, who are also 2-8, can’t offer much in the way of team success, but they’d at least be a place where the 2019 first-round pick might get to showcase his skills in the final weeks. He’d be an upgrade over Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder.

Even if he didn’t win a lot of games over the last month of the regular season, looking like a starting-caliber quarterback on a losing team would still set up Jones nicely for free agency.