The haters of Daniel Jones suffered a major loss on Tuesday.
The Giants re-signed him to a four-year $160 million dollar contract.
This is $40 million per year.
The New York Giants did beat the franchise tag deadline to get a long-term deal done with Daniel Jones, reaching an agreement on a four-year, $160 million deal with their franchise quarterback minutes before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline passed. Jones will get $35 million in incentives and was set to get the franchise tag if a contract wasn’t reached by the deadline.
Jones will get $82 million fully guaranteed, which will cover the first two years of the deal, per ESPN. The 2023 cap hit is around $19 million, according to Ian Rapoport. The average annual salary of $40 million puts Jones tied for the seventh-highest paid quarterback in the NFL while his guaranteed salary at $82 million is eighth highest in the league.
“I said after the season I love this place,” Jones told Giants.com. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here & I want to be here. I have great respect for this organization, the Maras, the Tisches, my coaches and teammates. I am happy we were able to come to an agreement.”
This leaves us with one question – is this a good deal for the Giants?
The media has already begun whining about the contract. Many are saying this is too much.
The Big Lead called the contract “absurd”
Daniel Jones, Giants Agree to Absurd $160 Million Contract
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The New York Giants and Daniel Jones have finally come to an agreement that will keep the quarterback with the franchise for four more years. While the full structure isn’t known yet, it is a four-year pact worth $160 million. But here’s where it gets crazy: there are $35 million in additional incentives that could push the value up to $195 million. That’s right, Daniel Jones, who almost lost his job a year ago, could make nearly $50 million a season to play quarterback. It’s a crazy gamble from the Giants.
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Jones was better in 2022 and Daboll deserves a ton of credit for crafting an offense around his young quarterback and getting the most out of him. That said, nothing Jones did made him worthy of a $40-plus million contract over the next two years. Just because he was better doesn’t mean he was great.
To be fair, Jones is still very young and it’s clear the Giants are betting that Daboll can continue to get the most out of him. I’m sure New York believes he’s on an upward trajectory and will continue to improve. They’re betting big that there’s more ability to mine there. But it’s one hell of a gamble.
This contract does make Jones a Top-10 QB overall in terms of pay per year.
Aaron Rodgers – $50,271,667
Russell Wilson – $48,517,647
Kyler Murray – $46,100,000
Deshaun Watson – $46,000,000
Patrick Mahomes – $45,000,000
Josh Allen – $43,005,667
Daniel Jones – $40,000,000
Matthew Stafford – $40,000,000
Dak Prescott – $40,000,000
Derek Carr – $37,500,000
Kirk Cousins – $35,000,000
Jared Goff – $33,500,000
Lamar Jackson – $32,416,000
Matt Ryan – $30,000,000
Ryan Tannehill – $29,500,000
Here is what the media won’t tell you…this contract is going to look much better in a few years.
Is Jones getting paid as a top-10 QB? Yes. But this number is skewed. Joe Burrow, Justin Hebert, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Jalen Hurts, and Mac Jones are all on small deals.
When their contracts are up they could all see more money than Jones (Mac Jones might be the only exception).
Fansided gave another reason this contract might age well:
In a deal that came right down to the wire, Jones agreed to a four-year, $160 million deal with the Giants, amounting to $40 million per season. That ties him with Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott as the seventh-highest salary in the NFL and may cause raging Giants fans to run out onto the streets screaming that Jones isn’t worth all that money.
They may be right. Right now, Jones may not be worth that much, but his extension allows the Giants more salary cap flexibility and the ability to pursue other options. Because of Jones’ deal, the Giants can franchise tag Saquon Barkley. Because of Jones’ deal, the Giants can spread out the quarterback’s cap hit and potentially sign and re-sign key roster pieces to stay competitive next season.
In short, as usual, the media was dead wrong.