Despite there being optimism that the NY Giants and Daniel Jones would be able to get a new contract done, it’s now starting to look like the non-exclusive franchise tag will ultimately be the result for the two sides. Reports and rumors have been flying all week over in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine.
The latest word sure is raising plenty of eyebrows. According to insiders Ryan Dunleavy and Ian O’Connor, Jones initially asked for around $48 million a season from the Giants. Remember when Dunleavy reported that the start of talks were ‘bumpier’ than expected? Well, we now know why.
Update: #Giants QB Daniel Jones initially asked for up to $48 million a year, league sources told @rydunleavy and @Ian_OConnor
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 5, 2023
The Giants decline.https://t.co/tpqZnEn7fI pic.twitter.com/0AH97ABtuE
Daniel Jones initially asking for up to $48 million a season is wild
A lot of people are questioning whether or not Jones ever asked for this kind of dough, but Dunleavy and O’Connor are two of the most respected journalists in the area. We trust their souces here and the number isn’t too far away from what Mike Florio had previously reported (around $45 million).
Jones and his agents clearly know what the QB market is like, and with Danny Dimes just posting the best year of his career, and him leading the Giants to a postseason road win against the Vikings, the young signal-caller is looking to get the most amount of money possible. However, with the Giants looking to keep things around $35-39 million, the two sides are quite far off.
By March 7, Schoen must decide whether or not to place the franchise tag on Jones. If this happens, he’ll be looking at $32.4 million for the 2023 campaign, but Schoen will be looking at the same number for a cap hit.
This is going to seriously hurt NY’s ability to spend big in free agency, as Big Blue needs to improve at wide receiver, the interior offenslve line, linebacker and more. All this drama could be prevented if Jones realized that he’s not worth anywhere close to almost $50 million per season. From our chair, he’s getting some rough advice and it’s going to end up hurting the Giants in the long run.
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