Getty Image / Mitchell Leff
The New York Giants surprised many football fans this past year by making a strong run through the season and even upsetting the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs.
It was a big turnaround after years of futility and their quarterback was a big reason for that improvement.
After struggling through the first 3 years of his NFL career to the point that the Giants didn’t even pick up his 5th-year option, Daniel Jones was able to cut down on the turnovers that had plagued him and put together a much better 4th season.
Now the Giants are probably wishing they had exercised that 5th-year option.
As a result of their decision not to, they are now locked in negotiations with Jones. According to recent reports, Jones is looking for around $45 million per year. If they had taken advantage of the 5th-year option, they could have had Jones for another year for just over $22 million.
While the Giants have been reluctant to gives Jones that hefty contract so far, it looks like they are getting closer to a deal.
According to New York Giants reporter Jordan Raanan, the Giants and Jones could have a deal done by Tuesday and that deal would pay Jones at least $40 million per year.
Have heard in recent days there has been progress between Daniel Jones and the #Giants. Getting something done by Tuesday doesn’t seem unreasonable. It sounds as if there will be a four at the front of the annual salary.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) March 3, 2023
Would this be a great deal for the Giants? Definitely not. At this point though, there isn’t much else they can do.
They’ve put themselves in a situation where this is the best they can do.
The deal they eventually agree to will likely make Jones one of the 7 highest paid quarterbacks in the league. He is definitely not a top 10 quarterback.
To make matters worse, we still don’t really know what to expect from Jones next year as he has only had one year with a competent coaching staff.
Unfortunately, none of that really matters. The Giants won’t be able to get a better QB if they let Jones walk and aren’t in a position to draft a QB.
Paying Daniel Jones more than $40 million per year based on one season where he won 9 games is far from ideal, but it’s the best the New York Giants can do right now.