The New York Giants have released their former starting quarterback Daniel Jones. The move comes four days after Jones was benched in favor of second-year signal-caller Tommy DeVito.
According to the statement shared by Giants’ owner John Mara, Jones was the one who asked for the release.
“We mutually agreed that would be best for him and the team,” Mara stated. “Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first-class in every way. His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that. We are all disappointed in how things have worked out.”
Jones will now land on waivers, but it is unlikely that another team will pick him up, considering his large contract that includes paying him $12 million for the remainder of 2024. The Giants, on the other hand, will now carry $22.2 million in dead cap next season.
The Giants selected Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. After three seasons of mixed performances, Jones had a breakthrough season in 2022 and led the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 2016. The Giants reached the Divisional Round, and Jones, who was set to hit free agency, received a four-year, $160 million contract.
However, the 2022 campaign proved to be an outlier. Jones went 1-5 in six starts in 2023 before being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign due to a torn ACL. He continued to struggle this season, going 2-8 and throwing for 2,070 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions before head coach Brian Daboll decided to bench him.
The Giants will now finish the season with DeVito and backup Drew Lock as their quarterbacks while hoping they can get a high pick for the upcoming draft to take a shot at a new franchise quarterback.
Jones, on the other hand, will look to sign with another team that could offer him a chance to start and perhaps rebuild his value before reaching free agency again in the offseason.
