The New York Giants have released Daniel Jones. The franchise granted the quarterback’s wish to split ways with the team after he was benched and demoted to the QB4 role.
Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension with the Giants last season but hasn’t been able to play following his return from the ACL injury. New York prioritized paying its quarterback over Saquon Barkley, and it has come to haunt the organization. The star running back recently shared his thoughts about the Giants releasing Jones.
Saquon Barkley Speaks on Daniel Jones’ Departure
Barkley was disappointed after the Giants released his former quarterback. “It sucks to see how it all went down,” the current Philadelphia Eagles running back said. “It didn’t work for me over there, and I’m doing well over here. Hopefully, he can find the same kinda fresh start and success.”
This past offseason, Giants general manager Joe Schoen highlighted on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that he didn’t pay a quarterback $40 million to let him hand the ball to a $12 million running back, referring to Barkley.
The decision has come back to bite him, as not only did Jones look terrible without Barkley but the latter is having an MVP-esque season in Philadelphia. The Eagles paid $37.75 million to sign Barkley on a three-year deal, and the running back has arguably been their best player this season.
The Eagles are a Super Bowl contender this year, whereas the Giants are already looking forward to the 2025 NFL Draft, where they are expected to draft a quarterback. New York is 2-8 on the season, and Tommy DeVito will be their starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
The Giants will have a chance of drafting a player like Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, or Jalen Milroe, but it remains to be seen whether head coach Brian Daboll will return next year.
Jones Is Expected To Sign With a New Team Soon
As per Tom Pelissero, the Giants will take a $22.21 million dead cap hit in 2025 for releasing Jones. This decision frees up $19.395 million in cap space for next season, and the quarterback will be completely off their books in 2026.
Releasing him now means the #Giants will take the full $22.21 million dead cap hit in 2025. Jones would’ve counted $41.605M against the cap if he were on the roster, so they save $19.395M in 2025 cap space (plus $30.5M cash) and Jones is off the books in 2026. https://t.co/gxV8j9HsKQ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 22, 2024
Jones is currently on waivers and could find a new team soon. The Dallas Cowboys remain an interesting landing spot for the former Giants quarterback, as they have already lost Dak Prescott for the rest of the season, and their offense looks pathetic without him.
Moreover, if any other starting quarterback suffers a serious injury, the Duke product will be a solid option for that team. According to ESPN, it will cost around $12 million for a team to sign Jones for the remainder of the season.
In 10 games this season, Jones has thrown for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions, completing 63.3% of his throws with a passer rating of 79.4. He still has the ability to make plays with his legs, and a team with a good supporting cast can get the best out of him.