A Shift in Strategy: Giants Opt for DeVito Amid Jones' Struggles
Daniel Jones’ tenure as the starting quarterback for the New York Giants is nearing its conclusion. According to reports, the Giants will switch quarterbacks after their Week 11 bye. Jones will take a seat on the bench as backup quarterback Drew Lock gets the opportunity to compete for the starting position for the remainder of the season.
Jones will serve as the emergency third quarterback on game days as Tommy DeVito takes on the role of the team’s backup.
It comes as no shock that Jones was benched. His performance was poor in the 2024 NFL season, resulting in the Giants having a 2-8 record after 10 weeks with a passer rating of 79.4, ranking him fourth-worst in the league.
In addition, by benching Jones, the Giants are avoiding a potentially uncomfortable situation that could have occurred if they had continued to play him. The experienced quarterback’s contract includes an injury clause, which would have complicated his release in 2025 if he had been injured.
Jones signed a $160 million extension with the Giants in 2023 for four years, after his rookie contract ended. The complete information regarding the contract is provided below.
Jones’ contract extension was very profitable, but the Giants hedged their bets by only guaranteeing half of it. This enables them to exit the agreement in the 2025 NFL offseason while taking on a dead-cap hit of slightly more than $22.2 million.
However, there was a possible issue with that plan: Jones would have a large portion of his salary guaranteed for 2025 if he sustained a long-term injury. Jones’ contract for the 2025 NFL season included a $23 million injury guarantee. This indicated that if he experienced a major injury, the Giants would be required to ensure $23 million of his $30 million base salary for the season.
If there was no injury guarantee, Jones’ entire $30 million salary would not be guaranteed until the fifth day of the new NFL league year in March. That would allow the Giants enough time to let go of Jones without having to pay him any additional funds.
If Jones had met the high expectations of his expensive contracts, the Giants wouldn’t have been concerned about fulfilling those promises. They would gladly offer payment to retain the quarterback on the team.
However, Jones hasn’t been meeting expectations. Therefore, it is probable that New York will try to terminate his contract following the 2024 NFL season. This implies that the team will not want his injury guarantee to take effect, as it would further burden Jones’ contract.
That could be the main factor behind the Giants deciding to bench Jones, despite Schoen’s claim that it would be a “football decision” based on performance. Sitting Jones assures that he won’t suffer any injuries, allowing New York to trade him without the fear of potentially taking on an extra $23 million in damages.
When comparing to a recent situation, the Denver Broncos followed a similar tactic with Russell Wilson before the conclusion of the 2023 NFL season to prevent having to guarantee his $37 million salary for 2024. The Giants were not as close to contention as they were, so it’s not shocking that New York is similarly handling Jones.
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