Daniel Jones has been struggling once again this season, but the New York Giants are reportedly planning to keep him under center as long as they still have something to play for.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Sunday that the Giants have no intention of benching Jones unless they are eliminated from playoff contention. Despite their 2-6 record heading into Week 9, the Giants believe Jones gives the team a better chance to win than backup quarterbacks Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito.
“My understanding is that he still gives them the best chance to win. That is what they believe (within) the coaching staff, in the locker room,” Rapoport said. “As far as the backup quarterback goes, everyone expects Drew Lock to go out there and he would be the guy, but Tommy DeVito has actually been the guy who has won games. They have a backup quarterback question as well.”
Jones has 1,706 passing yards with just 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions through eight games this season. The former No. 6 overall pick has played poorly for the second straight year, though injuries and poor offensive line play were big issues for Jones last season.
One big dilemma that the Giants have is that Jones has a $23 million injury guarantee on his contract for 2025. That means if he were to suffer an injury that prevented him from being able to pass a physical this offseason, Jones would be owed an additional $23 million. Several teams have benched their quarterbacks in recent years to avoid the risk of having an injury guarantee trigger, and there has been speculation that the Giants will eventually do the same with Jones.
Brian Daboll called Jones out for making a huge mistake in last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Giants coach said Jones would remain the team’s starter. If Jones and the team continue to play poorly, New York could be eliminated from playoff contention sooner rather than later.
