The New York Giants have decided to end an era of horror by demoting Daniel Jones. Why the bitter end of “Danny Dimes” was already predetermined – and why the gloomy clouds over New York could soon say goodbye.
“We will evaluate things in the byeweek and do the things we need to do. (…) It is obvious that we are not where we want to be,” Brian Daboll, head coach of the New York Giants, announced last week after the disappointing defeat (17:20) in Munich – and a week let action follow later.
After initial reports from the usual NFL insiders had already made the rounds, the coach finally confirmed the end of an era on Monday: the end of Daniel Jones as the franchise quarterback. “Danny Dimes” is demoted to the bench after another outrageous performance against the Carolina Panthers (two interceptions).
Tommy DeVito will take over ahead of Drew Look, Jones is now the third option in the playmaker position – better an ending with horror than a horror without end.
“I had the feeling that we had to make a decision here and try to do something, change something,” said Daboll, the “Coach of the Year” in 2022, explaining his decision and making it known that the poor performance of the team The team “is down to all of us” – and not just to Jones, who signed an incredible four-year, $160 million contract in New York before last season.
A serious misjudgment and its consequences
But with this contract, which was already viewed critically by many sides when Jones signed, the horror was to begin. As a reminder: The Giants could have also exercised the option for Jones’ fifth year in his rookie contract in order to convince themselves of his abilities for another year, for significantly less money.
But the Giants decided to pay Jones massively before the 2023 season after the former first-round pick played big (by his standards) in his final contract year in 2022. Looking back, that was a serious mistake.
Admittedly, Jones’ statistics looked solid in 2022, and the 1.96 meter tall playmaker was particularly able to distinguish himself through his running game. In addition to 15 passing touchdowns with only five interceptions, “Danny Dimes” also ran seven touchdowns and gained over 700 yards of space beyond his passing skills.
And the team’s success was also right: With nine wins and seven defeats, Jones led the Giants into the playoffs, where he led the franchise to its first postseason win since 2011 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Daboll, who was then in his first year as head coach, was named Coach of the Year – after years of failure, the tide finally seemed to be turning in the Big Apple.
But the appearance of this one year was deceptive and distracted from Jones’ mixed first three years in the league (45 TDs, 29 INTs).
After the signing, things went downhill miserably
The Giants were unable to justify the money that the Giants paid Jones based on just one solid season. In 2023 there were also two serious setbacks due to injuries: first he missed three games due to a neck injury, then a torn cruciate ligament ended his season prematurely.
But even when fit, Jones didn’t come close to his 2022 season. In his six starts, he went without a single touchdown five times – the Giants lost each of those games.
Between January 1, 2023 and early November 2024, he did not throw a single touchdown at his home MetLife Stadium (the Chiefs won the Super Bowl twice during that time).
GM quote about Barkley’s departure leaves people shaking their heads
To make matters worse, his expensive contract probably played a decisive role in the Giants not extending running back Saquon Barkley’s contract in 2023. Those in charge had underestimated Barkley’s market value – as well as his role in the success of Jones and the Giants.
“You don’t pay the guy $40 million to hand the ball off to a $12 million back. This is the year for Daniel,” general manager Joe Schoen explained in the offseason, and it was filmed for the documentary series Hard Knocks – and went more viral with each week, with each bad performance from Jones.
To make matters worse, Barkley is now playing even bigger for his big rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, than he already did during his six years in New York. Schoen’s statements increasingly became an own goal.
Rookie class gives New York hope
But it doesn’t have to stay as gloomy as the sky over the Big Apple is currently (the city’s competition is just as bad). With the decision finally made to put “Danny Dimes” on the bench, something like hope can arise again for the Giants. After all, not everything is bad.
Of the 160 million, only about half were guaranteed, and with the demotion you miss out on further guarantees. There was a clause in the contract that would have guaranteed Jones additional money in the event of an injury. So with the contract you may have only wasted two years, not four.
In addition, the Giants are not as disastrous as one would expect from a 2:8 team. The defense is actually solid, and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, probably the best player at his position, is under contract there. This year’s draft class is also drawing attention.
On offense, rookie Malik Nabers (WR, 1st round) lives up to high expectations, Theo Johnson (TE, 4th round) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB, 5th round) even turn out to be real steals. Tyler Nubin (S, 2nd round) and Andru Phillips (CB, 3rd round) also deliver against the ball. In addition, the current disastrous record of two wins and eight defeats promises another high draft pick that can possibly be invested in a talented quarterback successor.
QB gem Sanders as a Giants rescue?
Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, is being traded as the hottest stock yet. In New York, he would have a coach at his side in Daboll, who made a significant contribution to the development of MVP candidate Josh Allen during his Bills days. In addition, the city of New York probably offers the NFL’s largest media landscape – and therefore potentially the most money.
The Sanders family – father and coach Deion also has a say there – seems to have their eye on the Las Vegas Raiders so far, but will also be aware of the arguments in favor of the Giants. Demoting Jones could get the ball rolling.
However, in addition to the Giants, there are also numerous other teams in the NFL that also have a disastrous record and are therefore also looking for a high draft pick. The Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders also have a record of 2-8. the Jacksonville Jaguars are already 2:9. With the New York Jets, the New England Patriots each with a record of 3:8 and the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys (3:7), four other teams are only one success better off.
A really high draft pick that could guarantee a possible new star quarterback currently seems anything but certain. If the new Giants quarterback DeVito suddenly delivers and maybe gets a win or two after all, the decision to demote Jones could perhaps age poorly after all. Either way, it remains exciting to see what happens next for the Giants in the future.
