Where the NFL’s Quarterbacks Go to Get Fixed
By Andrew Beaton, Wall Street Journal
Quarterback Daniel Jones could have picked any number of teams after he was unceremoniously dumped by the New York Giants last year.
Some of those franchises offered the former first-round pick a quick path to getting back on the field, a tempting option for someone who had just lost his job and was attempting to resuscitate his pro career.
But Jones turned down each of those openings because he had a particular destination in mind. He wanted to go to NFL quarterback rehab.
Jones chose to sign for the Minnesota Vikings, willingly trading in his helmet for a purple cap, an earpiece and a spot on the sidelines next to head coach Kevin O’Connell, one of the league’s foremost quarterback gurus, who had spent the previous few months breathing life into the career of another passer some were ready to dismiss a gigantic bust.
“It was a very mature decision because he wasn’t going to play,” said David Morris, the founder of the QB Country training academy, which works with Jones. “It was more of a long-term decision, like, ‘OK, I’m going to think about this move and how I can shape the next five, 10 years.’”
For Jones, that patience is already paying dividends. After his brief stint holding a clipboard behind Vikings starter Sam Darnold, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts in March—and just beat out Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, for the starting gig.
“When you weigh the likelihood for success if you happen to play immediately on a new team,” Morris says, “I think it’s really hard.”
So instead of stepping into a situation where the odds were stacked against him, he picked Minnesota. That’s where he learned under O’Connell—and saw how his career could take off by watching Darnold.