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Members of the New York Giants organization are reportedly unhappy with the team’s decision to bench quarterback Daniel Jones.
Per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz, there is a sense of “disappointment” about the decision and players are upset that it was “primarily a financial decision.”
“He’s the QB1. To me, he’s the best quarterback on the team,” offensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said.
Another player voiced his frustrations anonymously to Schultz.
“We’re not idiots. They did it because of money. So be it,” the player said. “But Daniel has been all class, never complained, and is now being completely disregarded. The team record is bad. You can point fingers everywhere. To try to blame him is trash, and making him third string is weak as f–k.”
Jones has two years remaining on his contract and is set to earn $30 million in 2025 and $46.5 million in 2026. Within his contract lies a clause that states if he were to suffer an injury that prevented him from being able to pass a physical next March, the Giants would owe him $23 million whether he is on the team or not.
If he is on the team on the fifth day of the 2025 league year in March, $12 million of his 2025 salary would become guaranteed.
Should the Giants release or trade Jones this offseason, they would incur a dead-money salary cap hit of $22.21 million on their 2025 cap. They can spread the dead-money hit across two seasons if they designate him as a post-June 1 release or trade him after June 1.
Jones is far from New York’s only problem, but benching him does help the Giants out financially. That reasoning clearly does not sit well with players.
Jones, in his sixth season with the Giants, had 2,070 passing yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions before being benched. New York will now turn to Tommy DeVito as the starter with Drew Lock serving as backup.
DeVito, who appeared in nine games and had 1,101 passing yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions last season, will make his first start on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the Giants look to salvage what is left of the season after a 2-8 start.
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