Extending Daniel Jones Is Looking Like A Very Expensive Mistake For The New York Giants

Getty Image / Al Bello

One of the biggest mistakes an NFL franchise can make is keeping a mediocre quarterback because they fear possibly being worse at the position if they don’t. And, it appears clear that the New York Giants made that mistake when they extended Daniel Jones following the 2022 season.

Things bubbled over for Jones detractors on Monday night. The Giants were embarrassed, 24-3, and the offense was putrid.

Much of it was not his fault. The Seahawks sacked Jones 11 times, and he was under constant pressure all night. Some of the sacks were on plays that Daniel Jones had no chance to do anything positive. But, his lack of pocket awareness and efficient movement was certainly on display Monday night.

And, there were the two back-breaking interceptions, including a pick six at the goal line when it looked like the Giants were about to cut the lead to 14-10 in the second half.

I think that receiver is supposed to settle against zone, and option to an out against man. It’s clearly zone, he settles, and Jones throws the out. Not good at all.

Overall, he was 27/34 for 203 yards and two interceptions, with 10 carries for 66 yards. Admittedly, he did run the ball well.

But, those legs weren’t enough to justify a four-year $160 million contract with $82 million guaranteed for a guy whose career year was a year in which he threw for just over 3200 yards and 15 touchdowns. Yes, he took care of the ball, but you don’t pay a guy $82 million to protect the ball. It was an absurd contract. And, it was the first year in which he ever really took care of the ball. Through his first three seasons, he was on a historic fumbling pace, with pretty high interception totals as well.

This Giants roster is devoid of talent at a lot of important positions. It made no sense, even after a year in which they won a playoff game, to try to compete to hopefully sneak into the playoffs once again. It’s not a Super Bowl roster, and he’s not a Super Bowl roster. A smart franchise would have used the expiration of his contract as an opportunity to rebuild with a high 2024 draft pick and tons of cap space. But, the Giants were afraid of being bad on purpose, and it forced them to make a poor choice in extending Daniel Jones.