Daniel Jones didn’t play in the New York Giants‘ preseason opener, making Saturday’s Week 2 matchup against the Houston Texans his first live action since tearing his ACL last November.
Things didn’t exactly go well. Jones threw two first-quarter interceptions, including a horribly ill-advised throw that Texans safety Jalen Pitre easily picked off and ran back for a short touchdown.
While Jones bounced back and led two scoring drives before halftime, Saturday was a preview of what might be a challenging 2024 campaign for the Giants’ offense.
Why Daniel Jones’ Contract Could Force the Giants to Bench Him
Jones could rebound this season and convince the Giants to retain him heading into 2025.
We’ll get into how much New York can save by moving on from the 2019 first-round pick shortly, but we already know general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll were interested in selecting a Jones replacement in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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During the pre-draft process, the Giants were widely linked to North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who eventually went third overall to the New England Patriots.
HBO’s offseason version of “Hard Knocks” showed Schoen discussing a potential trade up with Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf, but New York stayed put at No. 6 and drafted LSU WR Malik Nabers.
If Jones’ poor production and the Giants’ decision-makers’ wandering eyes toward QB prospects aren’t enough for New York to bench its starter, his contract might be.
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— Pro Football Network (@PFN365)
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 Schoen and Daboll consider benching Jones?
It’s a realistic possibility.
During the offseason, New York signed former Seattle Seahawks backup Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million deal and could turn to the 23-game starter if it wants to get Jones off the field. Fan favorite Tommy DeVito remains on Big Blue’s roster and could also receive a late-season look.
Will the Giants Cut Jones in 2025?
Even if the Giants don’t bench Jones in 2024, they could still release him in 2025.
New York will face a deadline next spring. On the fifth day of the league year (March 17), $11 million of Jones’ 2025 base salary will become fully guaranteed.
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That cash isn’t tied to anything beyond Jones being on the roster. If Jones is still a Giant on that date, he’ll be a Giant in Week 1 of the 2025 season.
However, if it parted ways with Jones next year, New York would realize many cap savings. A straight release would leave $22.21 million in dead money on the Giants’ salary cap but clear $19.395 million in space.
New York could also consider a post-June 1 release. While Jones would leave the Giants’ roster immediately, his cap charges would stay on the club’s books until June 2, at which point his dead money would be spread across the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Using a post-June 1 release would result in $30 million in cap savings for New York. The Giants would have $11.1 million in Jones’ dead money on their cap in 2025 and 2026.