- Giants’ Daniel Jones has condition in contract that could force early benchin
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
After a successful 2022 campaign, the Giants rewarded Daniel Jones with a four-year, $160 million contract extension. Even though the contract includes three more years, there’s one year of guaranteed money left, meaning it could be easier than it seems to move on from the 26-year-old if this season goes poorly.
But there is one stipulation in Jones’ contract that the Giants will need to pay attention to this year: He’s scheduled to earn $30 million in 2025, and $23 million of that is guaranteed against injury. So if Jones, who made six starts last season after being limited with neck injuries and then tearing his ACL, gets hurt, the Giants could be on the hook
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, this could reason Jones could get benched.
“This has led to speculation that, if Jones isn’t playing well and the Giants decide they’re going to look elsewhere at quarterback in 2025, they could bench Jones during the season to avoid a situation in which they get stuck with that $23 million tab,” Graziano wrote. “Former Broncos and Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock is the current backup and has played enough NFL games that he’s a plausible option if they decide to go that way. Jones is almost certainly playing for his long-term future this season, and there’s real reason to wonder how much leeway the team will give him.”
Jones threw for two touchdowns and six interceptions in 2023. He first missed three games with neck injuries then suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 9. He’s missed games due to injury in all but one (2022) of his five seasons in the league.
Jones told The New York Daily News in February that his rehab was “going well,” and he expects to be ready by Week 1. Giants general manager Joe Schoen said in November that Jones would be the starter when he’s healthy.
