Daniel Jones, Giants Agree on 4-Year, $160M Contract Ahead of Tag Deadline

The New York Giants have finalized a four-year, $160 million contract with quarterback Daniel Jones, the team announced Tuesday.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network first reported the news and detailed the terms of the deal:

Jones completed a career-high 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions last year. He also rushed for 708 yards and seven touchdowns.

The 25-year-old was one of the main reasons why the Giants improved from 4-13 in 2021 to 9-7-1 with a Wild Card Round win over the Minnesota Vikings in 2022.

Jones clearly jelled well with first-year head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. He ended up piloting an offense that went from No. 31 in scoring in 2021 to No. 15 in 2022.

After the season, general manager Joe Schoen made it clear he wanted to keep the Duke product in New York:

Bobby Skinner of Talkin' Giants gave his take on the matter.

After the season, Jones changed his representation in advance of his contract negotiations from CAA to Athletes First:

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that Jones was seeking as much as $45 million per year in his next contract. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported that Jones was seeking closer to $40 million per season (5:00 mark):

Had the two sides not reached a deal, Schoen made it clear that he would place the franchise tag on Jones, which would have come with a $32,416,000 price tag.

Negotiations continued right up until the NFL's franchise-tag deadline of Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. The trend to that point indicated that the two sides were working hard toward a deal but that it was a coin flip to get done.

In the end, the Giants and Jones came to an agreement right before the deadline.

Jones' NFL career has been under a microscope since Day 1.

Former New York general manager Dave Gettleman selected Jones with the No. 6 overall selection in the 2019 draft, which was widely viewed as a massive reach,

Jones certainly had his moments in his first season, including 364 total yards (336 passing, 28 rushing) and four touchdowns (two apiece in the air and on the ground) in his first-ever start, a 32-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in September 2019.

He also threw four touchdowns apiece against the Detroit Lions and New York Jets and five more versus the Washington Commanders later that season. Turnovers were a major problem, though, as Jones threw 12 interceptions and lost 11 fumbles.

After the season, the Giants fired Pat Shurmur and brought in head coach Joe Judge alongside offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Jones limited the turnovers under them, but the offense proved stagnant under the new regime, finishing last in scoring over a two-year period (2020-21). He also suffered a neck injury in November 2021 that forced him to miss the final six games of the season.

The Giants rolled with a new crew in 2022, bringing in Schoen and Daboll to run the show. The GM declined Jones' fifth-year option on his rookie contract, putting the quarterback in position to prove himself under new leadership after a mostly rough three-year period.

The potential that led to Jones going No. 6 overall flashed in 2022, however, as he led the Giants to their first playoff win in 11 years.

His work was impressive considering the low expectations for the Giants entering the season. They entered the year with four new starters on the offensive line, with the only mainstay being an elite left tackle in 2022 All-Pro Andrew Thomas.

Jones also had to work with a wideout core constantly in flux. Kenny Golladay, who signed a $72 million contract in 2021, got benched due to on-field struggles. Wan'Dale Robinson, a second-round pick in 2022, suffered a season-ending torn ACL in November.

Kadarius Toney, the team's top draft choice in 2021, was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in late October as his short-lived tenure and relationship with the team fell apart. Collin Johnson, who looked promising in training camp and the preseason, suffered a torn Achilles in August.

The Giants eventually settled on a top three of Darius Slayton (a fifth-round pick in 2019 who was buried on the depth chart in training camp), Isaiah Hodgins (a practice squad pickup from the Buffalo Bills) and Richie James, who signed a league minimum deal this past offseason.

That trio eventually fared quite well down the stretch for the Giants, but Jones' ability to work with a rotating cast of talent that wasn't necessarily expected to star for the team shouldn't go unnoticed and inspired confidence for a bright future.

The 2022 season began with much uncertainty about the future of the quarterback position in New York, but that's over now as the Giants made a long-term commitment to Jones.