The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that they have signed former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to their 53-man roster.
In a corresponding move, they waived third-string quarterback Brett Rypien. Jones will join the Vikings roster to back up Sam Darnold during the playoffs. Nick Mullens, who’s been listed as the Vikings’ No. 2 quarterback, remains on the roster. It’s not yet clear who will be the No. 2 quarterback after the roster change.
Jones initially signed with the Vikings practice squad on Nov. 27 after being released by the Giants. He has remained on the practice squad since, but will now be available in the postseason in the event that Darnold needs relief.
The Vikings made the playoffs as a wild-card team after a 14-3 season and second-place finish in the NFC North. They had a chance to secure the division and the No. 1 seed on Sunday, but lost to the Lions in a game that determined the NFC North champion.
The loss dropped the Vikings to the No. 5 seed, and they face a road game Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
Jones, 27, is a former first-round pick who started five-plus seasons with the Giants before they benched and then released him after Week 10 of this season. Jones has struggled with turnovers since joining the NFL.
In 70 games with the Giants, Jones completed 64.1% of his passes for 208.8 yards per game with 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. He fumbled the ball 50 times.