New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll said that Daniel Jones’ days as starting quarterback is over. As Tommy DeVito takes over his role, Jones won’t even be his backup because Drew Lock will be second in the depth chart.
Being relegated as the third-string quarterback occurred after the former Duke standout started 69 games for New York’s NFC team. Worst yet, the Giants fell to 2-8 after losing to the Carolina Panthers at Munich’s Allianz Arena. While the Giants went on a bye in Week 11, he won’t be the starter anymore come Week 12 as the Giants face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It’s not all a struggle for Jones, as he helped the Giants reach the playoffs and defeat the Minnesota Vikings in the 2022 Wild Card Round. Unfortunately, that’s an exception because Jones failed to lift the Giants since becoming the team’s starter in 2019.
Sources: The #Giants are benching QB Daniel Jones, officially moving on from their starter.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 18, 2024
Out of the bye week, with the team 2-8, Jones now heads to the bench in what the team has said would be a football decision. pic.twitter.com/NaiVruk6sq
This development could mean Jones’s end is near after the Giants selected him sixth overall in 2019. However, moving on from him could be difficult because of his expensive four-year, $160 million contract.
Jones has two years left in that deal, which would pay him base salaries of $30 million and $46.5 million. Given his level of play throughout the contract, getting Jones off their payroll could be challenging. However, benching him now saves the Giants from a guarantee that would have earned Jones a massive salary despite being sidelined by an injury.
Likewise, the Giants could part ways with Jones by cutting him before the 2025 NFL season. Doing so will incur a manageable $22.2 million dead cap for the Giants while they look for a long-term solution at quarterback.
-Lance Fernandez