Daniel Jones granted his release by Giants
Daniel Jones’ Giants career effectively ended when he was benched on Monday. It officially ended on Friday.
With no realistic path to playing for the team again, the quarterback walked into the office of team president John Mara in the morning and asked to be released.
Mara granted his request. Once Jones clears waivers, he will be a free agent.
“We mutually agreed that would be best for him and for the team,” Mara said in a statement released by the team. “Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way. His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that.”
Mara was referencing a news conference on Thursday in which Jones accepted his share of responsibility for the team’s 2-8 record this season and lack of consistent success in his six seasons as a Giant.
Coach Brian Daboll informed the team of Jones’ release before a walk-through in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.
Then Daboll addressed reporters, saying, “I’ve got a lot of respect for him, like I’ve said. True pro, and I wish him all the best . . . He put a lot into it. He’s a great young man. It’s never easy.”
Daboll was hired in part because of his acumen in developing quarterbacks. Was he personally frustrated at his inability to make it work with Jones?
“Of course,” he said. “You do everything you can do, and I’m disappointed it didn’t work out. Again, I’ve got great respect for him and how he went about his business.”
Jones, 27, was drafted No. 6 overall in 2019 by then-general manager Dave Gettleman and showed only flashes of being worthy of such a high pick, notably in 2022, when he led the Giants to their only playoff victory since winning Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012.
That performance resulted in a four-year, $160 million contract. Any team that claims him on waivers would be responsible for that deal, so no one will.
Once he clears waivers on Monday, he could sign for the veteran minimum with any team he wishes, with the Giants paying the rest of his remaining salary.
There figure to be multiple suitors among teams that could use an experienced quarterback for insurance down the stretch. That potentially includes the Cowboys, whom the Giants will play on Thanksgiving Day.
The NFL Network said Jones will cost the Giants $22.21 million in dead salary cap money in 2025, then be off their books in 2026.
Tommy DeVito will start on Sunday, with Drew Lock as the backup. Had Jones stayed with the team — he did practice on Wednesday and Thursday — he likely would not have been active against Tampa Bay.
“Obviously, it’s a tough thing to go through,” DeVito said of Jones, “but he knows he has all of our support as a team. The quarterback room, we’re still going to be close . . . Definitely feel for him at this time.”
Said Lock, “It’s a sad thing, but at the same time, if that’s what he wanted and that’s what he asked for and they were willing to do it, I’m happy that at least his mind is clear . . . I’ve enjoyed my time with him and I’m going to miss him.”
Lock said he asked Jones for signed jerseys for both him and DeVito. Jones’ locker had not been cleaned out by the time reporters were invited into the room at about 1:25 p.m.
Receiver Darius Slayton, who was drafted in the same year as Jones and is a close friend of his, said, “He obviously thought on it, the organization thought on it and they both came to a mutual agreement, so I think that’s what was best.”
Slayton said he has a “special bond” with Jones but added, “The longer you play in this league, you understand the business. People come and go. It’s part of it.”
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, a former Giant and a friend of Jones’, told reporters in Philadelphia, “It didn’t work well for me over there, and I’m doing well over here. Hopefully he can find the same kind of fresh start and success.”
Jones on Thursday confirmed that the Giants were concerned that he might get hurt and trigger an injury clause that could cost them up to $23 million if he is not healthy enough to play at the start of next season.
“We are all disappointed in how things have worked out,” Mara said of Jones’ stay with the team, during which he was 24-44-1 as a starter. “We hold Daniel in high regard and have a great appreciation for him. We wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
