Sam Darnold is on track to reach free agency in March and understands what's at stake regarding his short- and long-term futures.

After the Giants cut starting quarterback Daniel Jones, he joined Minnesota's practice squad. It was a wise move, aimed at getting him on a team while maintaining the flexibility to sign with another team's active roster,

But McCarthy suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the preseason, and free agent signing Sam Darnold has led the Vikings to a surprising 14-2 record with a chance to win the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 overall seed on Sunday with a win over the Detroit Lions.

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold gave a grateful reaction to the team's win against the Green Bay Packers amid a career-defining season

The Minnesota Vikings are considering a significant shake-up to their quarterback depth chart, one that would put newcomer Daniel Jones in position to play if starter Sam Darnold is injured or ineffective in the playoffs.

A couple of days after the Vikings signed quarterback Daniel Jones to the active roster, they left the door open for him potentially moving up the depth chart. Notably, coach Kevin O’Connell did not commit to quarterback Nick Mullens as the backup when the topic came up during his weekly press conference.

Daniel Jonesis available to be the Vikings' backup quarterback Monday against the Los Angeles Rams. Coach Kevin O’Connell would not say Thursday whether Jones will be given that role over Nick Mullens.

Daniel Jones could be in line to step in for Sam Darnold if the Vikings quarterback gets injured or has another rough performance when the postseason begins this weekend. Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell left the door open for the former Giants quarterback to potentially jump to the No.