What’s next for Daniel Jones after a classic split with the Giants? NFL executives weigh in

When Daniel Jones stepped up to the podium on Thursday, he had options.

The New York Giants’ 2019 first-round pick had officially been benched, demoted in one week from first-string quarterback to fourth. The $23 million injury guarantee from his 2025 salary hung heavy in the air. So did the Giants’ 2-8 record.

“I wrote something down just to make sure I’m saying it the right way,” Jones began his opening remarks for a press appearance he could have easily avoided.

But what would he say?

He could finally, after months (or years) of taking the high road, question the Giants’ decision to publicly air their skepticism about him on an offseason edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” docuseries.

He could have blamed the Giants for sending him to work this season in an environment where everyone was acutely aware that management did not believe Jones was up to the task, and he could have blamed them for the role franchise -dysfunction contributed to his disappointing tenure.

Jones could have pointed to the Giants’ struggles to build an offensive line that would minimize the injuries he ultimately sustained. And he could have questioned team ownership and front office decisions that paired him with three different head coaches in his first four seasons.

Instead, Jones publicly thanked the Giants — a day before they would announce his release.

“The opportunity to play for the New York Giants was truly a dream come true and I am very grateful to the Mara and Tisch families for the chance to play here,” he said. “The Giants are truly a first-class organization, and I have nothing but genuine respect and appreciation for the people who built it and who helped carry on that tradition.”

Jones continued his roughly 300-word statement by emphasizing the accountability he takes for his role in a 24-44-1 career record that includes just one postseason appearance in six years. He told reporters how he would support Tommy DeVito in his preparation to start and how he would do what is best for the team and then himself.

League sentiment was pretty unanimous: This move was more stylish than Jones needed, and more explicitly elegant than most expect a bench starter to respond.

All of this leads to executives’ belief in what awaits Jones in 2025.

Jones’ skills and demeanor position him well to be a bridge quarterback for a team looking to draft and develop a young quarterback this spring, executives from four teams told Yahoo Sports. More franchises need a bridge quarterback — and Jones’ classy final days with the Giants presented the latest evidence that he can handle it well.

“I love the game, I love being part of a team, I’m excited for the next opportunity,” Jones said. “I know there’s a lot of good football ahead of me and I’m excited about that.”

If Sam Darnold signs elsewhere, the Vikings are among the most intriguing landing spots

None of the four executives who texted Yahoo Sports believed a team would trust Jones as their guaranteed QB1.

In six seasons, Jones completed 64.1% of his passes for 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns and 40 interceptions. His 84.3 passer rating ranks 38th among qualified passers in that stretch.

Returning from a torn ACL this year, Jones has completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while taking 29 sacks. He rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a career-low 4.0 yards per carry. carry.

But that doesn’t mean there are 32 quarterbacks who will surely rely on more.

“Nobody wants to sign him to definitely be the starter,” one NFC executive wrote. “He will either sign to be a backup or bridge player for a team with a young QB.”

The latter market has shown potential this year. Minnesota Vikings’ Sam Darnold, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield and Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith represent some of the best-case scenarios for Jones’ turnaround at his next stop.

Where can Jones land?

Several executives wondered if the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns or Vikings would explore signing Jones ahead of the 2025 season. The Vikings are particularly interested in the Chiefs if Darnold signs a multi-year deal elsewhere, and Minnesota will have a bridge quarterback as 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy returns from surgical repairs to a torn meniscus he suffered in training camp.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has already shown the ability to revitalize a quarterback, Darnold playing far more consistently in Minnesota than he ever did in starting roles with the Jets or Carolina Panthers. If the Vikings are interested in signing Jones after he clears waivers, as expected, the team would still be on the shelf for his $23 million injury guarantee. Signing the quarterback who eliminated them from the playoffs two seasons ago would upgrade the Vikings’ backup option for a postseason campaign this year in addition to getting a head start on whether he would be eligible for 2025.

At least one executive each pointed to the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts as teams that could be looking for a bridge quarterback, especially if Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson, respectively, struggle through the final two months of the NFL season.

Every executive expected Jones to have one opportunity and wiggle room for real playing time, given how NFL quarterback demand routinely outweighs supply.

And while franchises are increasingly rushing rookie quarterbacks into starting roles, the 2025 class doesn’t have talent expected to be as ready as current rookies in Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and Drake Maye.

“It’s not a great draft/free agent class at the position, and I think there will be some teams that need either a bridge and/or competition-to-start scenario,” wrote an AFC- boss. “He could fall into that category with guys like Justin Fields.”

What is the case for Jones’ optimism?

The word for the rest of Jones’ career is pretty simple: It’s always possible he won’t play well, if at all, again.

The attic offers more intrigue and is therefore more worth exploring.

Jones’ best season was in 2022, the first year head coach Brian Daboll arrived. He posted a 92.5 passer rating thanks to a league-best 1.1% interception rate, and rushed for a career-best 708 yards and seven touchdowns. The Giants extended him the following offseason and placed a franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley, who signed with the Eagles a year later. Neither Jones nor the Giants offense was able to recapture its 2022 fluidity the past two seasons.

To imagine how upgrade talent from the Giants can affect a player, look no further than Barkley’s stellar rebounding season in Philadelphia this year.

Many around the league also believe that a player’s mobility does not fully return in the first year after ACL surgery. Could his second year be any more convenient?

If he is signed to a team drafting a rookie quarterback, he would be temperamentally equipped to handle the uncertainty of when a rookie quarterback might start should he land in a role similar to the one the New England Patriots asked for about by Jacoby Brissett this year.

He assisted DeVito as recently as Thursday before being released Friday. He helped with game preparation and scout team work, even spotting the scout team safeties on Thursday. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence said Wednesday that Jones still walked around the building “with a smile on his face.”

And on Thursday, while Jones stopped short of taking responsibility for anything affecting the Giants, he made sure to own his part.

“I didn’t play well enough, consistently enough to help the team get the results,” Jones said. “I am 100% responsible for my part.”

After a meeting Friday morning, the Giants seemed to state their responsibilities more fully than they had before. They released Jones with good wishes — a move that, it’s worth noting, neither the Las Vegas Raiders nor the Denver Broncos made in recent years when they benched Derek Carr and Russell Wilson, respectively, due to similar injury guarantee structures.

“Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way,” Giants president John Mara said in a statement Friday. “His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that. We are all disappointed with how things have worked out.

“We hold Daniel in high esteem and have a great appreciation for him. We wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

It remains to be seen what exactly the future holds.