Giants release $160 million QB Daniel Jones after a string of underwhelming performances

The New York Giants have parted ways with their 27-year-old quarterback Daniel Jones after six seasons.

Giants release $160 million QB Daniel Jones after a string of underwhelming performances

Daniel Jones' days with the Giants has come to an end. (Image via IMAGO)

The New York Giants have decided to part ways with quarterback Daniel Jones after six seasons. The decision came on Friday morning after the team announced they had released their franchise quarterback after he requested the same.

The New York Giants benched Daniel Jones after his offensive struggles persisted. It was one bad performance after another for the quarterback who had signed a four-year contract worth $160 million with the organization before the start of the 2023 football season.

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John Mara released a statement making the departure of Jones official.

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Daniel came to see me this morning and asked if we would release him. We mutually agreed that would be best for him and for 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. We are all disappointed in how things have worked out. We hold Daniel in high regard and have a great appreciation for him. We wish him nothing but the best in the future.

John Mara’s statement read

The quarterback fell to number four on the QB depth chart as the Giants shut him down for the season and insured the team’s cap that would have been $23 million short had Jones sustained an injury this season.

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Daniel Jones delivered a heartfelt speech to the Giants’ organization and fanbase

The quarterback was visibly emotional after the news of his benching came out. His speech at the press conference yesterday made it clear that he was going to be moving on from the organization. When asked if the speech meant he was moving on from the team, he responded with, “I’m processing” the whole situation. He did not give a direct answer but from his tone and the structure of the message, it was clear that Jones would no longer be suiting up for the team.

Daniel Jones back as New York Giants quarterback has not panned out well so far
The Danny Dimes era has come to its inevitable end in New York (Image via Imago)

The quarterback threw for 2,070 yards this season, 8 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. His final speech gained sympathy from the fans but his fate had already been sealed. The team’s 2-8 record this season has been attributed to his poor performances and while it may not entirely be his fault, he is responsible to a large extent for the Giants’ failures. There have been many instances wherein wide receivers have been open and Daniel Jones has struggled to make throws that he should be able to complete in his sleep.

Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft played 70 games in New York. While the decision by itself is not surprising, the timing of it is. The quarterback knew in his heart that the team would cut him at the end of the season so he chose to quit himself. With this move, the Giants will now hope to survive the rest of the season and draft their next franchise quarterback in the 2025 draft.

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