When the New York Giants signed embattled quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million extension last March, the critics swarmed all over them, knives out.
Many experts felt the Giants were nuts for extending Jones, stating that Jones’ performance did not warrant both the money and the length of the deal.
Then Jones had a miserable 2023 season, beginning with a 40-0 blowout at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys on Kickoff Weekend on national television and ending with a torn ACL that knocked him out for the year in Week 9.
Fast forward to today. Jones is back practicing in full for the Giants and his contract looks as if it is more in line with that of an NFL starting quarterback. His annual cap hit of $40 million is 14th among NFL starters.
Veteran NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano, who covers the NFC East for FOX Sports, recently wrote that Jones’ deal looks more like a bargain now that many other comparable players have gotten rewarded with larger contracts.
There are now eight quarterbacks making more than $50 million per year. That list includes Trevor Lawrence, who got a five-year, $275 million deal from the Jaguars after throwing for just 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season despite his career record of 20-30. And it includes Jordan Love, who got a four-year, $220 million extension from the Packers after his first season as a starter.
In fairness to them, Jones’ best season — 2022 when he threw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions while running for 708 yards and seven touchdowns — pales in comparison to their best years. And Jones can’t possibly be compared to most of other top-paid quarterbacks on the list.
But that’s the point. He doesn’t really have to be, because he’s not paid like an elite quarterback.
Giants co-owner John Mara recently said he was happy the Giants inked Jones to the extension.
“I’m still happy we gave him that contract because I thought he played really well for us in ’22,” Mara said, via Giants.com. “Last year, he got hurt and let’s be honest, when he was playing, we weren’t blocking anybody. So, let’s give him a chance with a better offensive line with some weapons around him to see what he can do.”
The Giants added several veterans to the offensive line in free agency and bolstered the supporting cast around Jones even further with the selection of LSU stud wideout Malik Nabers in the draft.
Jones himself believes he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league when the field is leveled. In a recent interview with Tyler Dunne of Go Long, Jones was asked if he thought he should be considered among the tops at his position.
“Absolutely,” he told Dunne. “Because I’ve done it, and I’ve played at a really high level and I understand I need to play consistently at that level, but I think we got the guys and we’ve got the makeup of the team for us all to play at a really high level, including me. I know I can.”
The Giants attempted to trade up in this year’s draft for Jones’ possible successor but failed in their efforts. Jones was kept apprised during the entire process but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take offense. He is using it as motivation to become the best player he can be.
“Definitely didn’t enjoy watching that and it was a tough situation in a lot of ways, but that’s the reality of the NFL,” Jones said. “My job is to be on the field and play good football. So that’s something I’ve got to understand and it is what it is at this point. It’s about playing the game and playing well now.”
If Jones leads the Giants back to the postseason, the focus on his contract extension will likely dissipate. It will shift to how the light finally went on for the former first-round pick who Mara had a gut feeling was the right guy all along.
