NOVEMBER 23: The Giants officially waived Jones on Saturday, per a team announcement. Teams have until 3pm CT on Monday to claim him, though that is considered highly unlikely.
NOVEMBER 22: No ambiguity about Daniel Jones‘ status remains. The Giants are moving on early. Days after benching him, the Giants have agreed to cut their six-year starting quarterback.
Jones requested the release, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. While Jones’ contract will hit waivers, it is highly unlikely he is claimed. As such, a path to free agency exists early. Jones met with John Mara on Friday morning, and the sides reached an agreement to part ways.
“Daniel came to see me this morning and asked if we would release him,” Mara said. “We mutually agreed that would be best for him and the team. Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way. His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that.
“We are all disappointed in how things have worked out. We hold Daniel in high regard and have a great appreciation for him. We wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
[RELATED: GM Joe Schoen Expects To Be Back In 2025]
The Giants had demoted Jones from the starter to the third-string level, but Brian Daboll said Wednesday it was uncertain if Jones would even be the QB3. Practice squad addition Tim Boyle took reps ahead of Jones in practice, telegraphing the franchise’s plans for the longtime starter. Jones said Thursday he was processing whether he would stay with the Giants through season’s end.
This sets up an interesting situation, as Jones will be in play to catch on with a team early. This reminds somewhat of the Baker Mayfield path two years ago, with the Rams claiming the QB after his Panthers exit. Mayfield used that Los Angeles stay as a springboard to a Buccaneers opportunity in free agency. Jones, 27, being a near-certainty to not be claimed — as no contract adjustment will reduce his $35.5MM base salary (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero) — so he will head to free agency soon after. Jones is due $13.81MM in remaining guarantees. A claim would offset that for the Giants, but they are all but certain to take on that number in dead money this year.
As the Giants are slated to eat this additional $13MM-plus in dead money this year, their offseason equation will not change. Due to signing bonus proration, the Giants will eat $22.2MM in dead cap. Because no post-June 1 cut will occur, the team will see that figure hit its 2025 payroll. That marks an interesting facet from this early departure, with the prospect of Jones playing for another team this season obviously the other key prong here.
An emotional Jones addressed Giants media Thursday, reading a prepared statement about his impending exit. The team would have risked being on the hook for an additional $23MM in dead money had Jones suffered a significant injury. The QB being unable to pass a physical by the start of the 2025 league year (March 12) would have triggered that guarantee. Thus, the Giants benched their most talented passer in favor of Tommy DeVito, who is rising from the third-string level to the starter. Drew Lock will back up the 2023 UDFA.
Friday’s news concludes the Jones saga in New York, a story that featured a 2023 re-signing as a pivot point. The Giants had prioritized Jones over Saquon Barkley before free agency last year, agreeing to a four-year, $160MM extension minutes before the franchise tag application deadline. The team then tagged Barkley, setting in motion the six-year running back starter’s exit to Philadelphia. Jones, who received $81MM guaranteed at signing, did not come close to living up to the contract. The Eli Manning successor suffered an ACL tear midway through last season and did not play well before that injury, as another neck injury hampered him prior to that knee malady. While he made it back in time for Week 1 this year, no substantial improvement transpired.
Declining Jones’ fifth-year option shortly after arriving in New York, GM Joe Schoen signed off on the Giants becoming the first team in the option era (2011-present) to pass on a QB’s option and then later re-sign him. In securing that $40MM-per-year payday, Jones then became the first primary starter in that span to average fewer than seven yards per attempt in each of his first five seasons as a starter and then stay with that team for a sixth. The Giants are still showing respect to a player that did not pan out, but they will certainly have a glaring void at the game’s premier position entering 2025.
Schoen attempted to engineer a trade-up to No. 3, offering the Patriots this year’s Giants first- and second-round picks and their first-rounder in 2025. The Pats, who also received an offer from the Vikings, passed and selected Drake Maye — a player both New York and Minnesota coveted. While the Vikings ended up with a quarterback in this class (J.J. McCarthy), Schoen passed. The Giants had the chance to draft McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix at No. 6; Schoen chose Malik Nabers. The 2025 QB class is not regarded on the same level as this year’s, making the Giants’ Jones replacement effort more challenging.
Understandably coming out against the Giants’ plan to draft his replacement, Jones submitted sub-average numbers in his sixth season. He finished a 10-game run with eight TD passes, seven INTs while averaging a paltry 6.1 yards per attempt. The Giants slumped to a 2-8 record, with Schoen admitting the team’s 2022 playoff appearance prompted some moves that set the team back in the long term. No 2023 decision proved worse than the Jones re-signing, as a player who drew significant criticism during his rookie contract received a lucrative second chance. While Barkley has displayed All-Pro form with the Eagles, the player the Giants chose — due to positional value, as Barkley’s status as a superior player was never in question — burned them and has both Schoen and Daboll on hot seats, Mara’s October vote of confidence notwithstanding.
Jones threw more than 15 TD passes in a season just once (2019), and the Giants went 24-44-1 with him at the helm. Struggling mightily during Jason Garrett‘s time as OC, Jones did battle back from a season-ending neck injury to lead a rebuilding Giants team to the 2022 divisional round. The dual-threat QB played well to upset the No. 3-seeded Vikings in those playoffs, helping a team devoid of much receiving talent to its first divisional-round cameo since 2011. The Giants did not see Jones build on that form in 2023, prompting the search for a successor this year.
The Duke alum’s struggles aside, there will be interest both next week in free agency and in 2025 — assuming the team that signs Jones inks him to a one-year deal now. A few clubs are playing without their starters, the Cowboys among them. A role as a backup also would offer intrigue, as Jones would be a QB2 upgrade for most teams.
While Sam Darnold looks to have surpassed Jones as a free agent option in 2025, the latter can adjust his standing on the market by showing decent form late this season. Darnold also upped his stock by backing up Brock Purdy last year; Jones will have a chance to choose his next destination soon, potentially allowing him to craft a similar path to the true free agent market come March. A team that signs Jones will hold exclusive negotiating rights with him until the legal tampering period begins March 10.
As for the Giants, they will be able to retain DeVito as an ERFA in March. Lock is playing out a one-year, $5MM deal. With Big Blue choosing DeVito to replace Jones, there appears little chance Lock will be back in 2025.
Losses down the stretch would improve the Giants’ prospects of landing a viable Jones successor, but that mission is incongruent with the Daboll-Schoen regime attempting to convince Mara it should stay on for a fourth year. As Jones will prepare to head elsewhere, these warring agendas will make for a fascinating finish to another disappointing Giants season.
He got fired on his day off smh
He aint got no job, and he dont have nuthin to do!
Haha. Love both these comments.
Daniel Jones was never good.
There’s a chance he could be a high quality backup though
Its a movie reference Goku.
Y’all ain’t never got two things that match. Either y’all got Kool-aid, no sugar. Peanut butter, no jelly. Ham, no burger.
They got him on tape stealing boxes lol
It is Friday!
It would be funny if he signed with Dallas. He’d be their best QB right now.
You aren’t lying.
I was thinking the same thing.
See my post below. I didn’t count Dallas as a team “in playoff contention.” But I could see Dallas doing something this weird.
Dallas isn’t in playoff contention, but Jones is better than Rush or Lance. Jerry Jones likes splashy moves and hates fielding a truly bad team. The cap space thing you mention is a non-issue. Anyone who signs Jones will be doing it for the prorated minimum while the Giants pay the rest.
OK maybe I read that incorrectly. I thought that whichever team picked him up ate the whole 13M. So its Giants eating 13M regardless…less pro-rated league minimum?
If Jerry did this there would be a run on pitchforks and torches at all Dallas area Home Depots.
That’s if someone claims him. No one will. He’ll become a free agent.
I would think so. Unless a GM out there found Nate Newton’s van.
Outstanding reference. But seriously, imagine you’re a team owner and your GM comes to you and says he wants to make an eight figure addition to this year’s budget after the trade deadline and it’s for Daniel Jones.
That would need to be on Hard Knocks, and I would immediately pick up an HBO subscription just to watch that encounter.
No need for HBO when you can subscribe to Max.
Never thought I’d say it, but I’d welcome my Cowboys signing Jones right now haha.
And then on thanksgiving we’d get jones vs cutlets
What are the potential outcomes? If someone claims him (unlikely), then the new team takes over his contract? If he is unclaimed,then someone can sign him for the league minimum and the Giants pay the rest? and if he gets injured with his new team, how does the injury guarantee on his 2025 salary work?
No team is taking that deal.
He goes unclaimed most teams will rip up the 2025 year before signing him. They neve agreed to it When you trade for a player like in Diggs case the Texans eliminated his 2025 contract. So it most likely would be a six week tryout.
If he goes unclaimed he’s a free agent and there’s nothing to rip up.
He’ll likely sign a one-year deal, possibly for the league minimum if the situation looks promising (like Dallas)
It was for the best, gives him an earlier chance at FA maybe be like Baker was with Rams. Pick a high functioning organization and learn. Giants remove some distraction by him being gone, less questions.
Well that leaves our the Raiders.
Good dude who always gave 100%. Too bad the results weren’t there, but I’m wishing him good luck wherever he winds up.
Seems like this misfire is belongs more the the Giants than to Jones and they will never admit to over reaching on him.
I can only think of 2 reasons why this would happen, and neither make sense.
1. Jones’ presence was so disruptive to the Giants now (they’re 2-8, it isn’t going to impact their playoffs) that they were willing to eat 13M more. This would be completely against anything I’ve heard about Jones since he was drafted.
2. Someone thinks he’s going to be picked up by another team for the remainder of this season and we’re about to be even more surprised. Either another team told the Giants or told Jones. I can’t think of a single team in playoff contention now which would see an improvement by having Jones play for them at that expense with the cap space where Jones would be an improvement over their current starter. Or else they have $ to burn on a palatable backup, but I think that would be a good way for a GM to get fired.
… it was right in the article. Giants didn’t want to risk injury and guarantee him 23m next yr. That’s why it happened. He wouldve been cut anyhow, had he not requested it.
They could have just told him not to come to the facility and keep him to the offseason then designate post June 1 and save the initial 13M (the remainder dead cap was there regardless)
he trips and falls and tears his acl at home. He still is “injured” and get his guarantee. You cant deny that will happen as he trips over his own feet even with no one around him.
Come on Dallas pick him up so we get Jones V DeVito Thanksgiving day
I forgot about that game, pretty much writing off no reason to pay attention to a 2-8 team for another 2 months…that would be must see TV.
If that happened, and Jones went off for 400 yards and 4 TDs against the Giants next Thursday? I can’t imagine. Nothing, not Handley coaching, not them blowing a 35-3 lead in a playoff game, not the suffering through Dave Brown, Danny Kanell, and Kent Graham – would top that. The ultimate indignity.
(Could someone who was around for the 1965-81 playoff drought weigh in?)
Two words: The Fumble. Happened vs. Philly in ’78.
Ah yes.
It would have made the Giants 6-6 and tied for 2nd rather than 5-7 and out of the playoffs…though the Giants went 1-3 down the stretch and it probably wouldn’t have mattered. But you never know…
I was 3 in 1978 but I had always kind of equated that to kicking to DeSean in 2009 which I watched and lost my voice screaming at the TV, causing my poor dog to hide under the table for an hour.
This would add a whole other personal vendetta. I wouldn’t be able to talk smack to a Cowboys fan about conference championship appearances at least for a year or two.
Had the Giants not committed The Fumble, they’d have been 6-6 and in position for a wild card with a favorable schedule down the stretch.
And the DeSean Jackson game was in 2010.
You’re right, 12/19/10.
I always thought 2009. Although upon checking DeSean returned a punt for a TD against them in 2009, and Giants lost 45-38. Even more reason not to kick to him in 2010.
I was born in 78. The worst losses that stand out for me is the flipper Anderson playoff game in 89, the Minnesota wildcard in 97 up by 9 with 2 min left, the SF 2002 wildcard game, and the 2010 Dec Eagles game up by 3 TD in the 4th. The 2002 wildcard I believe they were up by 20 or so at the end of the 3rd. The defense ran out of gas and couldn’t make a stop. Even with all that they still had a shot to win with the 47 yard FG and then a bad snap. Should have been at least PI with offsetting penalties and another FG shot. That game took me weeks to get over. The 2010 Eagle game was painful as a win there would have been the division title and likely a bye.
Which playoff game did they blow a 35-3 lead?
I’m a mess today on 2 hr sleep. I meant to type 35-13. When I look it up it actually got to 38-14 with just a couple minutes left in the 3Q
All good. Ah yes that is the 2002 wildcard game. In that one they should have had another FG shot at the end with offsetting penalties.
I fully support this story line.
Jags?
Who’s the worse Jones, Daniel or Mac?
Both
Yes
It Smells !
Rams, they seem to like the traditional drop back quarterback. Stafford is no spring chicken.
Daniel Jones is a running QB and was 3rd in rushing yardage on the Giants when they waived him.
There aren’t a lot of places that make sense to pick him up for the rest of this season after he clears. I only count 3:
– Carolina: DJ is not better than most QBs but he’s definitely better than Bryce Young. Would seem to make sense for the Panthers to take a half season flier on him & see if Canales can rehab him like he did with Baker.
– Vegas: I guess it depends on how sold they actually are on O’Connell or Desmond Ridder as to whether they want to take on another QB who hasn’t demonstrated he can move the ball down the field.
– Tennessee: Levis & Rudolph are clearly not the way. Jones is probably not the way either, but what’s the downside of trying for the Titans?
Dallas has been mentioned, but I see no upside there. Dak will come back and he’s gonna be the guy, so spending time and resources on a guy you know is not in the future picture seems unlikely. You could make a case for Cleveland, but they seem to love Jameis and I don’t see DJ as an upgrade.
“see if Canales can rehab him like he did with Baker.”
LMAO
Baker w/ Panthers: 57.8% comp, 1:1 TD:INT, 74.4 QB Rating
Baker w/ Rams: 63.6% comp, 2:1 TD:INT, 86.4 QB Rating
Baker improved in LA despite not having an offseason or pre-season to even learn the offense and was instead thrown directly into the fire. He was better (in a bad season) in Cleveland the year before, than he was in Carolina.
Saying Canales fixed Baker Mayfield is delusional, or maybe you just have better drugs than me?
Canales coached Baker in Tampa.
Saying Canales coached Baker in Carolina is waaaaaaay more delusional than anything I said, and I definitely have better drugs and a better grasp of where people played in the NFL than you.
If not for the rest of this season, then I can definitely see Jones landing in Carolina in the off-season as a FA and competing with Young for the starting role next year. For the reasons you stated and his connection to NC.
Would the Giants have been on the hook for those big bucks had Jones suffered a non-football injury? If that’s the case, Danny should have thrown himself down the steps leaving the building, just to spite Mara and the organization.
Injuries sustained outside of team supervision, or an NFL facility are not covered by the standard contractual injury guarantee. The Giants were probably going to lock Jones out to prevent him from getting injured while working out. Just like the Raiders did to Carr after giving him permission to talk to the Saints.
What if the Raiders got him and released Minshew? A crazy year …
Jones would probably re-injure his neck in the first game and the Raiders would then scramble to get Nathan Peterman back on the roster 🙂
I guess Daniel Jones is done processing!!!
He needs to play somewhere the last 4 games to audition to even talk to teams next season.
He also gives Dallas that brass ring Jerry keeps talking about: “best chance to win”
He can be a average starting qb. Going to a team like 49’s. Build confidence and work his strength, and not being shell shocked from no blocking. And if not 80 million before taxes not bad. One thing I hope he does do is go with cowboys. It would finish him for good. I do note think it will happen as not even Jerry is crazy enough to put in a claim.
Sam Darnold 2.0???
Or another Teddy Bridgewater and Joshua Dobbs lmao
I’ll maintain Jones could be a decent RB or FB. He’s no QB though, at least not a starter.
Would it be Taysom 2.0 or Tebow 3.0?
Seriously, Taysom, because I think it could actually work. He’s always been a better runner than passer, and I’d be inclined to believe he would be more willing than Tebow to actually do it.
Now who will be the scout team safety?
The Giants will use their first pick in next years draft to fill that vacancy…lol.
Apparently, the Safety thing was a mutual respect move. You know — We appreciate everything you have done for us so what is the one thing you would like? Last meal, use the coach’s bathroom, or grab your favorite piece of equipment type deal.
Apparently, Mr. Jones wanted to play Safety.
Hope he doesn’t move to far away..im seeing the 2025 Jets QB job is his!
Jones going to the Cowboys and beating the Giants on Thanskgiving is hilariously high.
National Sports Media is linking him to the Cowboys cos you can get into their Turkey Day game for less than the price of an actual turkey.
I think it’s because it’s the quarterback room that has the most obvious chance to actually be improved by him.
Poor guy, from starter to the streets in a week. Maybe a change of scenery will work for him. Tennessee maybe?
“Poor guy” has only earned just over $108 million in his career. Hopefully he can use some of that cash to dry his tears.
Not exactly what I meant by poor guy, but he didn’t even get a chance to be 3rd string
What about Indianapolis? They are still, arguably, in the hunt. He could give them a shot in the arm at quarterback and vis-versa.
I’m not sure that benching Richardson again, especially after he played well enough to beat the Jets, is good for his development. If you think that Daniel Jones is the future in Indianapolis, not Richardson, then you haven’t been watching football for the past six years, but that would be the only way you bench Richardson for Jones.
They blew a 38-14 lead against Garcia and the Niners in the 2002/2003 divisional playoff. The best game Amani Toomer ever had.
This one is a doozy. What team next year that ISNT drafting a QB or that already has a franchise guy would even sign him? I don’t even think Panthers are an option.
Sometimes you release something because you love it and want it to come back and mean something special.
Other times you just wave goodbye.
No team is going anywhere near that contract.
No team is going near that contract
First you let his number one RB walk and replace him with crap, then you do the same with WR and TE, then you give him an offensive line that can’t either pass or run block but are great at holding and allowing sacks and expect him to be successful. Don’t blame him for wanting his release!
He would be perfect for the Cowboys after he clears waivers…even Jerry can figure that one out…Barkley rubs the Giant’s nose in it and Jones would be the icing on the cake…he is way better than Cooper Rush and Trey Lance and the Cowboys could smack the Giants with the Quarterback they blame for their disappointing season on November 28 in Dallas
He’s going to Phila to play with Barkley. Oh and possibly start vs Giants last game of season.
Daniel Jones could still play in a Super Bowl this year. If KC, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, San Francisco lost their starting QB (or starting + backup), Jones is the obvious choice. He’s the only free starting level quarterback.
Jones should not sign on any kind of backup contract now, but wait the season out and see who loses a QB or two. Think back to the San Francisco NFC championship where Purdy was injured and there was no one to play.
hopefully steelers dont need daniel jones
yeeks
yoooooooo wssspppp