Daniel Jones (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
It looks like everybody is not on board with Daniel Jones being benched.
Head coach Brian Daboll called it a “hard decision” during a team meeting Monday, but not everybody is on board with it amid a tough season.
Jones was not only benched but also demoted to third string behind backup Drew Lock, which essentially ensures that he won’t play again during the 2024 season.
It also appears that the $23 million injury guarantee in Daniel Jones contract won’t activate and that he will be released after the season.
Per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, the decision has caused a sense of “disappointment,” and players are upset that it was “primarily a financial decision.”
“The sense I’ve gotten from multiple sources — players, coaches, and executives — is that the issues within the organization go far beyond just one person,” Schultz wrote on X.
“We’re not idiots. They did it because of money. So be it,” the player said. “But Daniel has been all class, never complained, and is now being completely disregarded. The team record is bad. You can point fingers everywhere. To try to blame him is trash, and making him third string is weak as f–k.”
Daniel Jones has two years remaining on his contract and is set to earn $30 million in 2025 and $46.5 million in 2026. He is unlikely to ever see that money from the New York Giants.
He also has a clause in his deal that states if he were to suffer an injury that prevented him from being able to pass a physical next March, the Giants would owe him $23 million whether he is on the team or not.
The team is clearly not risking him getting injured and is preparing to part ways with the quarterback.
Dexter Lawrence Speaks Out After Benching of Daniel Jones
One anonymous player on the Giants has already ripped the team for benching Daniel Jones, but Dexter Lawrence had zero plans of hiding his comments from the media.
“He’s the QB1. To me, he’s the best quarterback on the team,” offensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said.
“Because you don’t know their full thoughts behind it,” Lawrence said. “I think we trust the coaches and where they’re going and where they think we can go. That’s what you have to do. You have to be naïve and trust the process. You think about the wrong sh– and then you start playing like sh-t.”
Daniel Jones was demoted behind backup Drew Lock to third string.
Lawrence called Jones his “best friend.”
REPORT: Big-Name NFL Starting Quarterback Will Be Released After The Season
NFL logo (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)The New York Giants have, unsurprisingly, already decided on the future of struggling quarterback Daniel Jones.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll has yet to announce who will start between Daniel Jones and Drew Lock for Sunday’s home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Regardless, it appears that the “Danny Dimes” era is on its last legs.
According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the Giants will release Jones after the 2024 season. Duggan noted that they looked at selecting his replacement in April’s NFL Draft:
“It’s over for Jones in New York. The Giants will bench him soon and then cut ties with him at the end of the season. The Giants tried to draft his replacement this past offseason but couldn’t move up and decided against selecting the likes of Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy or Bo Nix, all of whom were still on the board when New York picked wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6.
Right or wrong, the Giants now have no choice but to draft a quarterback, and at the moment, they are in prime position to do it. At 2-8, New York has a great chance of landing a top-three pick in the 2025 draft.”
After a career year and helping the Giants to a playoff appearance and Wild Card Round victory over the Minnesota Vikings in 2022, Jones signed a four-year contract extension worth $160 million.
Daniel Jones lost five of six starts last season before suffering a season-ending ACL tear last year. This season, he’s 2-8 with a 63.3 completion percentage for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions and four fumbles
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Fortunately for the Giants, Jones’ contract is structured in a way that they’ll be able t o cut him in the 2025 offseason with minimal financial ramifications. It’s not like the New Orleans Saints with Derek Carr or the Cleveland Browns with Deshaun Watson, where they’re stuck with a terrible QB contract for at least another year.
Daniel Jones Era Should Have Ended A Long Time Ago
It’s honestly incredible that Daniel Jones has had six seasons to try and prove himself as the Giants’ answer behind center. He had three forgettable seasons from 2019 to 2021, and yet the Giants wouldn’t give up on him.
He had one decent season in 2022, and that was enough to secure a $160 million extension. The Giants could have taken a QB in the heavy 2024 class, but they again decided to give Jones the starting duties.
Jones could follow the footsteps of Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield and flourish with the right team. But it’s clearly never gonna happen in New York.
