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Daniel Jones on Giants Declining Contract Option: 'That Was Out of My Control'
May 19, 2022
The New York Giants declined the fifth-year option for Daniel Jones this offseason, and reporters asked for the young quarterback's reaction to that decision on Thursday.
"That was out of my control, out of my hands ... it is what it is," he responded.
"I think it's more about winning games and knowing that if we win games and we have a good season then that's going to take care of a lot of things for everyone," he added. "Everything we do is about that goal."
Winning games has proven to be an issue for Jones and the Giants in his three seasons, however, as he holds a 12-25 record in his career with 8,398 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, 29 interceptions and a 62.8 completion percentage.
In 2021, his 41.5 QBR ranked 21st in the NFL amongst qualifying quarterbacks and his 84.8 passer rating was 26th. PFF's Kevin Cole graded him as the 23rd-best quarterback in the NFL, meanwhile.
It hasn't been good enough from the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft, though it hasn't shake his confidence.
"I'm certainly confident in myself," he told reporters. "I'm confident in the team we have and the coaches and the system. There's a lot of reasons to be confident, I think, when you look at all those pieces. We've got to focus on what we're doing now. We can't focus on results in the season. That's a long way away."
The Giants, at least publicly, are remaining confident in Jones as well.
"I really enjoy working with him right now," new Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka told reporters on Thursday. "He's a smart kid. He works hard. Those are all things I had heard about him. But being able to see it in person has been great."
But actions speak louder than words, and declining to pick up Jones' fifth-year option sent a pretty clear message—if Jones doesn't show clear improvement in the 2022 campaign, the Giants likely are going to go a new route at quarterback.