The New York Giants have decided to bench Quarterback Daniel Jones according to multiple NFL insiders. This move is not surprising as Jones has struggled with New York since signing a four-year $160 million contract extension with the team during the 2022 NFL Offseason. He only played seven games in 2023 following a Torn ACL, and his return to the field has not gone well in 2024. Jones has 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions this season. He is averaging only 207 passing yards per game and New York has a 2-8 record under Jones this season.
This is a shrewd business move for the New York Giants as it guarantees Jones could pass an offseason physical. If Jones could not pass a physical, he would have a $23 million injury guarantee for 2025. If New York moves on from Jones this offseason, which seems like a certainty following today’s news, his cap hit would be $22.2 million for next season. Jones has a career record of 24-45-1 as New York’s starter with one playoff win against the Minnesota Vikings.
Head Coach Brian Daboll has turned the QB position over to Tommy DeVito. He experienced some success with the New York Giants last season and earned the moniker “Cutlets” as he became a fan favorite. Will the benching of Jones lead to improved results on the field?
New York Giants Suffer Another Lost Season
Deemed a football decision, it also protects the team from next year’s $23 million injury guarantee. https://t.co/s1cjG9ZYap
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 18, 2024
A once proud franchise is on its way to missing the NFL Playoffs for the seventh time in the past eight years. This season was not expected to be a good one, but the depths of the struggles have been surprising. New York’s defense has been average, as the offense under Jones has held the team back in 2024. New York is last in the league in points per game and 24th in total yards per game. The New York Giants hope that DeVito can provide the offense, and the team as a whole, with a much-needed spark. DeVito had 8 passing touchdowns and 3 interceptions last season over nine games for the Giants.
DeVito played well in the first half of his starts but struggled to maintain that level of success as the regular season wound down. This decision by Daboll was surprising as New York signed Quarterback Drew Lock to a one-year $5 million contract during the offseason. It was presumed that he would get the nod if the team were to move on from Jones during the season.
Final Thoughts
The first game of DeVito’s stint will be at home against a suspect Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. He will look to take advantage of that and jumpstart the offense on Sunday. Today’s news closed the book on Daniel Jones’ time with the New York Giants. Jones came to the team as a highly-touted prospect as the franchise looked to move on from the Eli Manning era. Unfortunately, things did not pan out for Jones.
Only time will tell if another team will give him a chance to be their starting QB for 2025 and beyond. New York currently holds the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and will turn their attention toward drafting another quarterback in April.
