The New York Giants had seen enough from Daniel Jones on Sunday. With the Giants down 28-3 to the Philadelphia Eagles with roughly 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, head coach Brian Daboll benched Jones and turned to backup quarterback Drew Lock.
While Jones figures to resume his starting role when the Giants face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8, his Week 7 benching could be a sign of things to come for the embattled signal-caller.
Giants Bench Daniel Jones in Week 7
Jones completed 14 of 21 attempts for just 99 passing yards while taking seven sacks before departing Sunday’s game.
Only one of the Giants’ eight drives with Jones under center gained more than 25 yards. On that drive, New York averaged only 3.9 yards per play before kicking a field goal just before halftime.
Jones also struggled in the Giants’ Week 6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, averaging five yards per attempt while tossing an interception. However, he’s been more productive in 2024 than before tearing his ACL in 2023.
Through six weeks, Jones doubled his touchdown rate while slicing his interception rate compared to last season. His QBR has improved from 51.4 to 36.3.
Daniel Jones is out, and Drew Lock is in at QB for the #Giants, who are down 28-3 early in the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/HdvLwluJAc
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 20, 2024
Still, Jones’ contract structure means he could be benched again later this year.
Jones signed a four-year, $160 million deal with New York in March 2023. He received $81 million in fully guaranteed money, including his signing bonus and 2023 and 2024 base salaries.
Jones has $23 million of his $30 million base salary in 2025 guaranteed for injury. That means if Jones were to suffer a severe injury during the upcoming season and could not pass a physical next spring, the Giants would owe him that money.
The Denver Broncos faced a similar situation with Russell Wilson last year. Wilson’s 2025 base salary ($37 million) would have become guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year.
If Wilson were injured over the season’s final two games and could not pass a physical the following March, the Broncos would’ve been on the hook for that $37 million. Benching him to close the campaign removed that possibility.
Sean Payton waited until Denver was essentially eliminated from playoff contention before turning things over to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. If the Giants are out of the race when their Week 11 bye hits, will Daboll and GM Joe Schoen consider benching Jones?
Fantasy Analysis on Jones’ Benching
Malik Nabers has been among the best in the game, so any change can only hurt him. Jones hasn’t been the most consistent of options, but we do have proof of his willingness to feed the talented rookie. Nabers would still be a fantasy starter weekly, even if his ceiling weeks won’t project to look the same.
Should this situation extend, Wan’Dale Robinson will be the loser. His short-yardage role relies on timing, and the move to a backup makes that difficult to replicate. He transitions from a valuable PPR Flex to one that you’d be looking to bench for a player with more upside.
— PFN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe