Daniel Jones contract: Why Giants benched QB for Tommy DeVito as injury guarantee looms | Sporting News United Kingdom

The Giants made a change at quarterback Monday, benching Daniel Jones in favor of Tommy DeVito in a move that likely ends Jones’ time in New York. 

The decision was anticipated, but poor performance wasn’t the only factor involved. A clause in Jones’ contract incentivized the Giants to sit him, and with the season headed nowhere, Daboll opted to go with one of the two quarterbacks behind Jones instead.

Even in the event of a DeVito injury, it’s likely Jones has stepped onto the field in a Giants uniform for the final time.

Here’s a look at Jones’ contract and why it gave the Giants additional reason to send him to the bench.

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Daniel Jones contract

Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract to return to the Giants after the 2022 season. The raw total of the deal was eye-popping even after easily the best season of the former first-round pick’s career. It doesn’t tell the full story, though.

The deal was structured in a way that allows the Giants to move on after two seasons, as a release this offseason would leave New York with either a $22.2 million dead cap hit in 2025 or a $11.1 million dead cap hit over each of the next two seasons if Jones is designated a post-June 1 release. That saves the Giants more than $19 million. 

However, Jones would be guaranteed at $23 million if he were injured to the point that he couldn’t pass a physical at the start of the new league year. That means a major injury suffered down the stretch could have left the Giants on the hook for a $45.2 million dead cap charge if Jones were released, making it pricier to cut him in that situation.

The Giants don’t want to take any chances there, even if they label his benching simply a football decision. The Broncos sat Russell Wilson for the same reason over the last two games of the 2023 season. Releasing Wilson was always going to come at a major cost for Denver, but releasing an injured Wilson would have been even pricier thanks to an injury guarantee in his contract.

Here are more details on Jones’ injury guarantee.

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Daniel Jones injury guarantee, explained

Jones would be guaranteed $23 million if he were not able to pass a physical in mid-March, so each week he played became more of a risk for the Giants. The Giants would be on the hook for a larger cap hit if the team released an injured Jones.

By benching Jones, the Giants ensure they can save money if and when they release him in the spring.

That means it’s tough to imagine Jones sees the field again this season even if DeVito goes down with an injury. The Giants passed over Drew Lock when choosing their new starter, but the former Broncos QB is waiting in the wings to step in if anything were to happen to DeVito. Unless both QBs go down, Jones’ time in New York is likely up.

Wilson and Derek Carr found themselves in the same scenario over the last two seasons, though the circumstances were even more dramatic as both teams were still in playoff contention when they benched their quarterback to avoid injury guarantees. The Giants aren’t officially eliminated, but they stand virtually no chance to salvage their season at 2-8.

Daniel Jones stats 2024

Jones has struggled in 2024 despite playing in what the Giants believed would be an upgraded offense with Malik Nabers.

The 27-year-old’s numbers are lagging behind most of his marks from 2019-2022, with a lower touchdown rate, yards per attempt and passer rating than each of those seasons. Jones has already thrown two more interceptions than he did during his strong 2022 season, and he’s 3-13 as a starter since the start of 2023.