Jarrett Stidham has effectively owned a specific corner in the NFL, at least in recent years. Both the Raiders and Broncos inserted him as a starter in Week 17, doing so for the purpose of ensuring the previous starters — Derek Carr and Russell Wilson, respectively — would not suffer an injury. Tommy DeVito is now part of this chapter, as the Giants have parked Daniel Jones.
The Jones benching has not gone over too well in the locker room, as it is a thinly veiled effort to ensure a $23MM injury guarantee does not come into play for 2025 — when the Giants will release Jones. Although Jones is under contract through 2026, the Giants will drop him after six seasons as their starter. When informing Jones he will be benched, Brian Daboll spoke with the supplanted passer about his future with the organization.
Jones, 27, has lasted longer than many expected in this role. The Duke alum is the only QB to date to see a team decline his fifth-year option and then circle back and re-sign him. Jones is also the first quarterback in the rookie-scale era (2011-present) to average less than seven yards per attempt in each of his first five seasons only to be kept as a starter by the same team for a sixth. The Eli Manning successor has endured constant scrutiny, but his Big Apple tenure will end soon. A topic of discussion this week: will Jones take the Carr or Wilson route out of town?
Carr left the Raiders once the team benched him for Stidham. While this was themed around not being a distraction, Carr later said he was “very upset” once he learned of the benching. Wilson certainly expressed disappointment as well, but he both stuck around to back up Stidham last season and then — even as the writing appeared on the wall — publicly said he wanted to stay in Denver. Cuts commenced in both situations, with the Broncos’ decision bringing a record-smashing dead money sum.
When asked if he would stay with the Giants through season’s end, Jones said (via SNY) he was “processing” that call. With Daboll not confirming Jones would even be the team’s emergency QB in Week 12 — as recent signee Tim Boyle is under consideration for that role — it would stand to reason the 2019 No. 6 overall pick will give strong consideration to leaving the team. Jones would continue to collect his fully guaranteed salary ($35.5MM) if he goes the Carr route or stays with the team like Wilson did.
Embattled QBs certainly do not make a habit of receiving six-year opportunities, as Jones did well to sandwich a solid season (2022) between several unremarkable slates. His free agency status will be interesting to monitor. The league’s latest QB reclamation project, Sam Darnold looks like he will be the top free agent option. Jones may well be the second-most appealing name on a market that will include an underwhelming 2021 draft class and a host of backup-level options.
So is he, like, meditating?
He’s basically on a darkness retreat without the Aaron Rodgers theatrics.
They made him play scout team safety today. Classless organization and this won’t go over well with NFLPA or players in the locker room.
I don’t entirely agree, 16. The Giants ownership has typically been good, and it used to be one of the premier franchises in the league. But, I wholeheartedly agree that the GM and coach are a couple of classless clowns. They’ve already lost the locker room.
Case in point, Drew Lock has been the number two all season. Instead of elevating him, they start DeVito. Lock sounded completely blindsided, too. But Daboll seems to be painting it as everything is fine.
And making Jones play scout team safety is uncalled for. He deserves plenty of blame for his play, but the guy has handled everything with class. Be honest, say it’s about the money, then just send him home.
The Giants brass doesn’t want to own their mistakes. They’re trying their best to cover them. Players notice that. If this regime somehow stays, you can forget about free agents wanting to come to NY unless the Giants massively overpay AND heavily guarantee it.
Is this true – scout team safety?
Ive not seen that and it seems contradictory to the injury conditions they want to avoid.
Im not intentionally being snarky, Im genuinely asking.
It is true, Bills1. The NYTimes, SI and a bunch of other sources have picked it up. I do not know if the contract rules differ for being hurt in a game versus a role like that, but it is something I want to look into because it does seem to be the most nonsensical idea ever if they do not.
Yeah – that is pretty crazy – and really insulting.
I feel bad for the guy. I completely understand the benching, but I wonder if the union would step in here.
It is pretty classless. I hope potential free agents take note.
“The Giants ownership has typically been good, and it used to be one of the premier franchises in the league.”
I’m a Giants fan and will push back on this a bit. Wellington Mara, as great as he was, had to be forced by the league to hire a competent front office because they were bad for so long in the 60s and 70s. And John Mara is a fool who meddles too much and appoints clueless family members (Tim McDonnell) to high profile positions (Director of Player Personnel). They also failed in hiring Gettleman and kept him around far too long. There are even little things like honoring Gettleman’s retirement after his abysmal tenure and the Free Medium Coke thing.
And this makes it ok to embarrass DJ?
I mean, its your team and you are entitled to your view. Im just curious if you think there is any chance you are being anything less than completely unbiased?
Why is it classless? Everyone, including Jones, knew this was a possibility when he signed that contract. Giants are merely adhering to the contract. It’s a business. You can’t risk that amount of money as a cap hit next year to appease Jones’s feelings. If Jones didn’t want this to happen, he needed to play better. He didn’t, so here we are.
It sucks because he’s a leader in the locker room. He’s tough and a solid teammate. But he signed a massive deal partly because it offered the Giants a chance to get out of it after year two. It’s not classless for the Giants to take that chance. If they kept playing him and he got hurt, everyone would be ripping them for being stupid.
I think its pretty classless to make him play safety – curious why you don’t? He is a QB.
As I noted, Im not against the benching. I get it. But they are going out if the way to insult him.
There are plenty of actual undrafted safeties, or even other DBs who are better suited for that.
What value do they actually get from that?
For the record, I believe every contract should be fully guaranteed. But those aren’t the rules we have, so I understand the Giants doing what they’re doing. It’s not what they’re doing, but how they’re doing it that makes the decision makers come off as classless and petty. They could be kinder and simply send him home instead of humiliating him. That’s what this is.
/\ this comment from app
Rct – this is it.
The issue as we have both pointed out isn’t the benching.
He’s done. I can’t call it this early but he will find a team. Some staff somewhere will see some type of value in him. Maybe a bridge role with Panthers or a backup role in Miami
It seems there will always be a revolving door in Carolina for failed QBs. If Jones is willing to take a substantial haircut, that seems like a likely destination.
Haircut? Lmao
No haircut needed. He will sign for league minimum with his new team and the Giants will pay him $30 million in 2025 to play for somebody else. Russell Wilson’s hair is just as long as it was last year, only the Broncos are paying for the shampoo and conditioner!
Hahaha
You use the word “appealing” as though it should ever be used in the same sentence as this scrub
If he processes this as slow as he processes his reads, he may be out in the wild awhile.
I think this new trend of benching players over injury guarantees might cause new issues for teams. You already see it in other sports related to injuries, money, and contracts. I bet you’ll see guys in the same situation as Wilson and Jones start reporting injury issues that are for things hard to verify before the team gets a chance to bench them. If they set things up right they can then dispute and fight the team saying the injury guarantee should trigger since they are injured. Even if the teams win the chance of being tied up in arbitration for a length of time that ties up that cap room is costly.
“You’re not breaking up w/me cause I’m breaking up w/u.”
If anybody ever says that Daboll is a players coach I would just refer them back to how HE is taking care of his players…you don’t treat your one time starting QB like that…that is a no class move but then again…Daboll has no class and will be gone.
I’ll take him as a back up next year. He’s such a frustrating player because you see flashes here and there. He can back up Josh any day so far as I’m concerned. Way better than Trubisky!