The New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones will be a free agent this offseason after the team declined to pick up his fifth-year option last offseason. Jones had a breakout 2022 season, leading the Giants to a 9-7-1 record and helping New York earn its first playoff win since 2012. General manager Joe Schoen said that the Giants “would like to have Daniel Jones back” following his successful season. However, the two sides have not begun negotiating a new deal and new reports suggest that Daniel Jones will be seeking a hefty payday this offseason.
Daniel Jones seeking $30 million per year
Matt Lombardo of NJ.com reports that a “prominent NFL agent” familiar with Daniel Jones says the Giants quarterback will “command at least $30 million annually.” A salary of at least $30 million per year would make Jones one of the thirteen highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
In his first year as head coach, Brian Daboll propelled the Giants to exceed all expectations and clinch their first playoff berth since 2016. He also helped Daniel Jones fix his turnover problem and play the best football of his career. Jones had the lowest interception percentage in the NFL this season (1.1%) while setting new career highs in passing yards (3205) and rushing yards (708), establishing himself as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league.
Daniel Jones’s breakout 2022 season confirmed him as the future of the Giants. New York plans to pay Jones and lock him in as their franchise quarterback with a long-term contract extension this offseason.
The franchise tag is also a possibility for Daniel Jones. The Giants could place the franchise tag on Jones in order to maintain exclusive negotiating rights with their franchise quarterback. This year’s franchise tag value for quarterbacks is $32.4 million. It seems likely that Joe Schoen will utilize the franchise tag to ensure that the Giants are the only team Jones and his agents are in negotiation with. Jones’s long-term deal could yield a similar annual value as the 2022 franchise tag.
The Giants are projected to have the third-most effective salary cap space in the NFL this offseason at around $43 million (OverTheCap). With Jones’s contract likely to surpass the $30 million threshold, the Giants’ money will run out quickly. New York still has to pay Saquon Barkley, too, who is also an impending free agent.