The New York Giants are having a turbulent season this year. Their 2024 NFL season hit another low on Monday as head coach Brian Daboll announced the benching of quarterback Daniel Jones.
Once considered the franchise’s future, Jones will now sit as the team rolls with third-stringer Tommy DeVito against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Chase Daniel Reads Between the Lines As Giants Bench Daniel Jones
This decision didn’t sit well with fans and analysts, with former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel giving his two cents on the Giants’ motives. “Tell me you’re tanking without telling me you’re tanking,” Daniel said during FS1’s The Facility.
“You’re benching Daniel Jones. I get it. It’s for the injury guarantee. He’s owed $23 million next year if he were to get hurt. But you signed Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million deal. He has been dressing as the backup the entire year but you decide you’re gonna go with Tommy DeVito.”
“Like for me that makes no sense at all. To me this tells me that they’re tanking, that they are tanking for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward,” Daniels continued.
Tell me your tanking, without telling me your tanking….
Welcome to New York, Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward.
pic.twitter.com/dPY6thOdQr— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) November 18, 2024
Daniel further questioned the logic behind sidelining Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million deal in 2023. “If you knew this was gonna be the case, Joe Schoen, you decided to pay him (Jones) $40 million per year. You let Saquon (Barkley) walk. You decided to let your whole franchise go in the way of Daniel Jones,” he added.
Statistically speaking, Jones’ performance this season has been abysmal. He has only recorded eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 starts. His struggles, coupled with the Giants’ league-worst 2-8 record, have fueled whispers of a rebuild.
However, many see the benching as more about protecting the team’s finances than evaluating talent. A $23 million injury guarantee for 2025 looms over Jones’ contract, and the Giants appear intent on avoiding that liability.
Tommy DeVito, who showed potential in limited action last year, will take over as the starter. Daboll justified the decision, stating, “After evaluating a bunch of things and seeing what Tommy brought to the table, we believe he can give us a spark.” Yet, skeptics like Chase see this as a strategic move to secure a high draft pick.
Brian Daboll explains the Giants' decision-making in benching Daniel Jones pic.twitter.com/GQCO5gviqN
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) November 18, 2024
For Giants fans, the frustration is understandable. Once a proud franchise, New York has become synonymous with dysfunction. Whether or not the team is “tanking,” the decision to bench Jones is the end of an era — and potentially the start of a rebuild.