Daniel Jones, armed with megacontract, won't shortchange Giants
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones throws a pass at training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Center on Tuesday in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Corey Sipkin
Sterling Shepard has been around NFL locker rooms long enough to see how different players are affected after signing their multi-million dollar contracts. Maybe they ink a new deal in the offseason and they show up draped in a few more diamonds than before, roll into the lot in a more souped-up ride, or even start to act and prepare a bit differently. With a little less intensity, not as much hunger.
“They got that money swag,” he said. “You know when somebody hits the lotto. They’re a little different. It’s the same thing.”
Daniel Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract with $92 million guaranteed a few months ago.
Does he have any “money swag"?
“Nah,” Shepard said after containing his laughter at the thought of what that might look like. “He’s gonna stay the same.”
Still in the weight room early in the mornings. Still staying late to crunch film with teammates. Still nagging receivers to trot back out on the field and fine-tune a route or a read that wasn’t quite right in that day’s practice.
Added defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who during this offseason got some money and some swag from it himself, in regard to his otherwise unaltered quarterback: “I don’t even think he has swag to begin with. But yeah, I see him. He just talks to you as normal. He’s just Daniel.”
That’s one of the reasons why the Giant were not afraid to give Jones the kind of bank they did. There is undoubtedly a large percentage of the population who would perhaps rest a moment to enjoy their newfound riches, feel as though they have made it, even for a second.
Not Jones.
“I never really felt like I needed to show other people,” he said of the motivation behind his granite-set habits and unflinching work ethic. “I feel like I'm doing it because I want to do it, because I enjoy doing it and I’m trying to be as good as I can be. That doesn't change regardless of what the contract situation is or whatever it may be.”
It’s a bit of a joke around the Giants’ complex to even consider the possibility of that kind of reaction from Jones. Lazy Daniel? Bloated Daniel? Satisfied Daniel? Those exist only in the most active imaginations and funniest takes. Even as the players head into their summer vacation before the start of training camp in late July, everyone giggles at the idea of their quarterback kicking back to live life in the spoils lane.
“It's hard for him to do,” coach Brian Daboll said of Jones getting away from the game. “I think he's been in the league long enough, he has a routine over the next month that he's used to, and I have a lot of trust that he'll be ready to go.”
Jones may not have changed, but the circumstances around him certainly have.
A year ago his mere presence here was a huge question mark for the organization. His 2022 season was essentially a tryout for the new coach and front-office regime that had no loyalty to him and no contractual obligation to him beyond that year. All Jones did during that audition was lead the Giants to the playoffs, win a postseason game, and prove to the team that he could be their franchise quarterback.
The negotiations around his megacontract? Once the Giants decided they were all in on him — and that happened at some point during the end of last season — those exact numbers were merely details.
The irony of his newfound stature with the Giants is that he doesn’t seem to have it in conversations around the league. He’s hardly ever mentioned among the top players at his position, and is often in the second or third tier of rankings.
While the best player on the team, Saquon Barkley, is the recipient of near universal respect but complains about a lack of it from the Giants in his ongoing contract negotiations, Jones has the exact opposite dynamic at play with his narrative. While Jones’ image is much improved from where it was during his first few turnover-plagued seasons, the Giants, it seems, are alone on the limb that is betting on him becoming a championship-caliber player.
“If you know anything about Daniel, that guy is the hardest worker no matter what the situation is,” Shepard said. “I expect him to have the mentality of ‘I’m going to show everybody why I deserve this money.’ I mean, he’s always approached the game and practice and day-to-day work with the right mindset. I’m really looking forward to seeing him out there ballin’.”
Even as the Giants are more than a decade removed from their last title, Jones still plays in the shadow of a quarterback who won two Super Bowls (including one by the time he was Jones’ current age) and now in a city where he isn’t even the top player to wear a No. 8 football jersey.
Maybe if he can one day win it all, the rest of the world will be on board with Jones. It will look at him through a different filter. Everyone will be satisfied.
Well, almost everyone.
Jones was asked on Tuesday if he thinks he will ever get to a point in his career where he might feel he has nothing left to prove.
“No, I don't think so,” he said quickly. “I'm not trying to prove it to anybody. I think it's about showing up and putting in the work every day.”
Jones certainly has the money. The swag from it will have to keep waiting.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
