New York Giants

New York Giants to decline QB Daniel Jones' fifth-year option

Published Apr. 28, 2022 5:37 p.m. ET

The New York Giants and new head coach Brian Daboll have reportedly decided against a fifth-year option for quarterback Daniel Jones, who is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract.

Jones’ fifth-year option would have cost the Giants $22.38 million in 2023. The 24-year-old still has a chance to earn roughly $30 million this year if he surpasses expectations in 2022 and the Giants franchise tag him, per Sports Illustrated. The team can also offer Jones a long-term deal later down the line.

Jones — the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft — has started 37 games in three seasons and boasts a 12-25 record while completing 62.8% of his passes for 45 touchdowns against 29 interceptions.

Jones went 4-7 last season as the Giants' starter before missing the last six games of the season with a neck strain, an injury that the Giants and Jones recently stated will not be a long-term problem. He completed 64.3% of his passes for 2,428 yards and 10 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

The Giants finished 4-13 overall last season, the third-worst record behind the Detroit Lions (3-13-1) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14).

The Giants currently have veteran QB Tyrod Taylor under contract for 2023. They also own the fifth and seventh overall picks in upcoming 2022 NFL Draft.

On Thursday's "The Herd," Colin Cowherd broke down why this was the best move for the Giants, pointing out that this was the right move for the organization to take on a QB who "was a reach at No. 6."

"We don't compliment the New York Giants much, but today is that day," he said. "He's not accurate enough. He's fairly athletic. … I've always had my rule: You've got to be a top-12 quarterback in the NFL historically — especially now as it becomes a more quarterback-centric league — to win a Super Bowl."

"Daniel is not close to that. I don't even think he's even close to [the top] 15. So what's the point?" Cowherd continued. "If it was a strong quarterback draft, the Giants would absolutely pick a quarterback. They can't. … I think once you hired Brian Daboll, who had just worked with Josh Allen, you can't go from that to this. There's no way that Brian Daboll [was] like, ‘I can make that OK.’