- Daniel Jones is two years into a four-year, $160 million extension with the New York Giants, but it appears his time in New York is up.
- Jones has been benched by the Giants and is now third on the quarterback depth chart behind Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock.
- The Giants would have to pay Jones $23 million if he were to get hurt this season, but they can simply cut him at the end of the campaign.
Daniel Jones was supposed to be the next franchise quarterback for the New York Giants when he was drafted sixth in the 2019 NFL Draft. His time with the Giants has been up and down, but definitely more down as of late, and Jones has probably played his last snap in the Big Apple.
Jones has been demoted to third-string on the quarterback depth chart for the Giants, and due to a contract stipulation, he’ll likely sit the rest of the season to save the team money.
Giants Would Have to Pay $23 Million if Jones Gets Hurt This Season
It was reported on Monday that the Giants would make Jones the third quarterback on their roster ahead of their NFL Week 12 meeting with Tampa Bay.
The objectives of this move are two-fold. Jones has been playing poorly, completing 63.3% of his passes for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions for the 2–8 Giants.
However, there may have been a larger financial reason for sitting him now. Jones’ contract states that the Giants would have to pay him $23 million if he were to get hurt and not pass an offseason physical.
The former Duke Blue Devil has battled injuries throughout his career, especially a terrible 2023 in which Jones hurt his neck, then tore his ACL. So, the Giants are protecting themselves from having to pay out that $23 million.
The quarterback signed a four-year extension with the Giants for $160 million, including $92 million guaranteed. This was after Jones had a great 2022 season, leading the Giants to their only playoff trip in the last eight campaigns. The 27-year-old also won a postseason game that year.
Jones has also struggled when the lights were brightest. He is 1-15 in primetime games and has gone winless in eight Monday Night Football games. This includes a 26-18 loss in Pittsburgh in Week 8 in which Jones had a pair of turnovers on the Giants’ last two possessions.
How Does This Affect the Giants’ Chances?
In the big picture, this doesn’t move the needle for the Giants one way or the other. The team will now go with Tommy DeVito under center, and he became a fan favorite in New York last season. The 26-year-old New Jersey native led the Giants to a 3-3 record last season after injuries felled Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor.
But there is a definite ceiling with DeVito at quarterback for the Giants, who will now try to figure out who they’re going to draft in 2025. The Giants could get aggressive and trade up in the draft, although there is still a chance they get the #1 pick on their own.
There are a few quarterbacks that could go high in the draft, such as Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, and Texas’ Quinn Ewers, among others. Heisman favorite Dillon Gabriel of Oregon could also be in the mix.
But the Giants have to get this next pick right. They already made a mistake in extending Jones, while letting running back Saquon Barkley walk to their NFC East rivals in Philadelphia. They can’t afford more poor decisions, or their Super Bowl odds will remain an afterthought for the next 5–10 years.
