Daniel Jones picked a good time to have his best season since being taken in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and the quarterback is in a strong position to parlay that success into a big contract.
The Giants last offseason chose not to pick up the fifth-year option on Jones’ rookie contract, which would have paid him $22.4 million. Jones is now set to become a free agent, though the Giants can still use the franchise tag on him.
SNY’s Connor Hughes spoke with two NFL executives who are familiar with the current quarterback market, and they believe Jones is worth somewhere in the range of $35-37 million annually. A third exec whose team is in need of a veteran quarterback said he would be comfortable giving Jones a salary close to that but would have a “hard time” going as high as $40 million per year.
A an average annual salary of $37 million would be about the 10th-highest in the NFL at the quarterback position, according to the latest figures from OverTheCap.com.
If the Giants use the franchise tag on Jones, the former Duke star stands to make roughly $33 million next season. They will likely go that route if the two sides cannot come to an agreement on a long-term deal.
Jones, who will turn 26 in May, threw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2022 while quarterbacking the Giants to their first playoff appearance since 2016. He also rushed for 718 yards and 7 touchdowns. He made big strides under head coach Brian Daboll.
Judging by the comments Jones made at the end of the season, he seems to understand that his value is quite high. It is unlikely that the Giants will be able to sign him to a long-term deal unless they are willing to pay him top-10 money.
