Daniel Jones’ tenure as the New York Giants’ starting quarterback is over. The Giants benched the struggling 27-year-old on Monday and coach Brian Daboll plans to start fan favorite Tommy DeVito this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an effort to end a five-game losing streak.
Not only was Jones on the bench, Daboll said he will be the third quarterback for the final seven games while fellow veteran Drew Lock remains the backup.
“Obviously we’re not playing the way we want to play, and that goes for all of us,” Daboll said. “But it felt like this was a decision we had to make here to try to stir things up, change things and we went with Tommy again.”
Daboll said he spoke with the quarterbacks on Monday and confirmed Jones wanted to remain the starter. Daboll declined to comment on his conversations with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch. They will have decisions to make as the Giants (2-8) appear headed for a second straight losing season.
One of those decisions will concern Jones’ future — he has two years and $80 million remaining on his contract — along with that of Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, who was also hired in 2022.
By not playing Jones for the rest of the season, the Giants are trying to avoid an injury. If he were to get injured and unable to play at the start of next season, it would result in a $23 million guarantee on his contract.
Daboll said Jones, who was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft, will remain with the team for the remainder of the season. Derek Carr left the Las Vegas Raiders at the end of last season after being benched for the final two games.
“We had a conversation just before today’s meeting,” Daboll said, referring to Jones. “Never easy. I have a lot of respect for the way he goes about his business, the way Drew does it and the way he does it. These are not easy conversations.”
Daboll had hinted that there might be a change after the Giants entered their bye week following an overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers (3-7) in Germany on Nov. 10. The coaching staff reviewed the film during the week, discussed the situation and decided to change things.
Jones has eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season. He is 3-13 in his past 16 starts and New York ranks last in the league in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game.
Jones signed a four-year contract worth $160 million after leading the Giants to a surprise playoff appearance in Daboll’s first season in 2022. He saw limited action last season due to a neck injury and later an ACL tear. He played behind a poor offensive line in 2023 and has been inconsistent this season.
Daboll was hired after developing Josh Allen in Buffalo and was never able to return Jones to his 2022 form. That season, Jones had 15 touchdown passes, seven rushing TDs, five interceptions and completed 67% of his passes. In his career, Jones has 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
“It’s not because of Daniel, it’s because of me, but because of a very offensive performance,” Daboll said. “So when I made this decision again to kind of fuel it to give Tommy another opportunity, he did some nice things while he was there and played as a rookie. And I know he is eager for this opportunity.”
DeVito was listed as the third quarterback every game this season, but jumped ahead of Lock largely because the New Jersey product nicknamed “Tommy Cutlets” was 3-3 as a rookie free agent starter out of Illinois after Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor were injured. last season.
Daboll said DeVito has had more than 700 snaps in the preseason and as a starter last year. He added that he has practiced well this season and has a greater knowledge of the offense in his second season.
“We’ll do everything we can to get him ready,” Daboll said.
The Giants are about to have a high draft pick and will most likely take a quarterback. The 2025 draft is not considered rich in quarterbacks.