What does Daniel Jones’ $160 million contract mean for Giants’ future?

Daniel Jones will stay with the New York Giants, signing a lucrative $160 million contract, but what does this mean for Big Blue?

First, it means that the Giants have their quarterback for the foreseeable future. There will be no more speculation about Jones’ suitability to the position.

Such discourse would be pointless. Regardless of the fans’ opinions on Jones, he’s here to stay. Unfortunately for the QB, a lot of the negativity has lingered due to his selection in the draft coming as a complete shock.

Jones’ performances in 2022 were a big improvement. He took the team back to the playoffs and the team had a competitive offense, albeit one that was led by Saquon Barkley and the running game.

With Barkley being franchise-tagged this offseason, it’s obvious that the Giants gave some numbers to work out ahead of 2024. However, getting your QB position settled is vitally important, and they feel they have done that.

Just what are the positives of Daniel Jones’ extension?

Brian Daboll is widely credited with New York’s success in the 2022 season. His coaching brought a different atmosphere to the locker room, and the team is no longer a pushover in a poor division.

Is there a long way to go before they compete with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys? Yes, but signing Jones to a long-term deal at least gives them stability.

Positive 1: Stability

When you don’t have an exceptional quarterback on a rookie deal, your options to build a Super Bowl winning roster are limited.

You cannot go out and make lucrative trades on draft night, which provides you with a receiving weapon that takes your offense to a new level.

Teams who are paying their QB a big salary need to be smart; they need to plan. Half the battle is knowing where your money is going and how best to utilize what’s left over.

This will be key to the Giants’ fortunes moving forward. Drafting will be important as signing free agents will be more challenging. It allows the franchise to plan. The Giants know where they stand.

Positive 2: Jones is improving

Whether you want to believe this or not, Daniel Jones has improved as a quarterback over the past year.

Furthermore, the evidence suggests that he will continue to improve. He’s just 25 years old, he has at least six more years at his physical peak and you never stop improving mentally.

His 2022 stats made for good reading. The QB’s returns of nine wins and 3,205 passing yards were both career highs. He also threw just five interceptions, which was a career low. One of the biggest criticisms of Jones had been turnovers. However, cleaning that up was one of his biggest improvements last year.

Jones was in the running for the Associated Press’ Comeback Player of the Year, citing the jumps forward he made.

Positive 3: Jones adds variety to New York’s offense

It wasn’t just in the passing game where the former Duke starter made a difference in 2022.

Jones rushed for a career-high 708 yards and seven touchdowns. These are hugely important scoring numbers for a QB. It gave the NYG offense variety and stopped teams being able to just plan for Barkley.

Having an unpredictable offense is crucially important in the current NFL. Just look at the Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. They thrive with it.

Jones must improve – we know that – but 2022 showed that the building blocks of a dynamic play style were there, and that’s what convinced the Giants to pay him.

But what are the negatives of Daniel Jones’ extension?

The reaction from fans to Tuesday’s news hasn’t been universally positive. There are still those who don’t believe Jones has it in him to lead a team to the Super Bowl.

His first three seasons were plagued with errors in a way that Patrick Mahomes’ just weren’t. That is the level of comparison.

Negative 1: Jones has yet to fully convince

Jones threw 29 interceptions in his first three years and never had a winning record. These numbers were seriously alarming, and nobody believed the Giants would keep Jones beyond his fourth year.

Given the quality of the QBs in the 2023 draft class, many expected New York to struggle in 2022 and then have a high pick.

While Jones’ vastly improved displays prevented that, some still aren’t all in on the quarterback.

He still makes mistakes, and the Giants offense was heavily aided by the running game.

In 18 games without Saquon Barkley, Jones has thrown 14 interceptions and has a passer rating of just 80.3. He has also won just eight games without the running back.

In 2022, Barkley finished a full season, but any injury to him and fans who aren’t convinced will point to these worrying trends.

Negative 2: Dan Jones is being wildly overpaid

The QB position is the most valuable in the NFL. As such they are paid the most money. Recent contract extensions for Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson have inflated the value of the role even more.

It’s so hard to find a proper QB that teams often reach for ones they think they have. Jones has only played at a high-quality standard for one of his four NFL seasons, but he left the Giants with no choice but to pay him.

The risk of allowing him to walk was too great, especially as he looks to be improving.

However, he is being wildly overpaid. He will earn roughly as much as Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford on an annual basis. He will outearn Lamar Jackson, too.

Jones isn’t better than any of those quarterbacks, but the Giants had to pay him because there wasn’t a better option.

This could cause problems down the line. If deficiencies in his game remain, then the salary will become a millstone around the neck of the New York Football Giants. We all know that this can cripple a franchise competitively for years.