The Daniel Jones era in New York is over.
The Giants quarterback was released by the team on Friday, just days after the franchise said they were benching him in favor of third-stringer Tommy DeVito.
“Daniel came to me this morning and asked if we would release him,” Giants president John Mara said in a statement. “We mutually agreed that this would be best for him and for the team. Daniel has been a tremendous representative of our organization, first class in every respect.”
Mara added that he was “disappointed” with the quick dissolution of the team’s relationship with Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract in March 2023 after leading the Giants to a playoff berth.
“We have great respect and appreciation for Daniel,” Mara continued. “We wish him nothing but the best for the future.”
The 27-year-old Jones told reporters Thursday that he gave the team everything he had after going sixth overall in the 2019 draft and believes he still has a future in the NFL. He held himself accountable for the Giants (2-8) and made the postseason once in his tenure as starter.
The Duke product took over early in his rookie season when then-coach Pat Shurmur benched two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, who was nearing the end of his career.
Coach Brian Daboll benched Jones on Monday after the Giants returned to practice following a bye week and a 20-17 overtime loss to Carolina in Germany.
Tommy DeVito will start Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Daboll hoping he can spark the team.
“Definitely not happy about it,” said Jones, who read a 90-second statement before answering questions from reporters. ‘Yes, not what you want to hear. So yeah, all those emotions you have. But at the end of the day, this is football. We are in a business where you are expected to get results, and we didn’t do that.”
Jones, who is now free to sign with any team, went 24-44-1 as a starter in New York after being the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft. A significant portion of those wins came in 2022, when the Giants went 9-7-1 and defeated Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.
But the forward momentum the club generated in 2022 quickly dissipated in 2023. New York was 1-5 in Jones’ six starts during an injury-marred season, and he continued to decline this fall.
Jones completed just 63% of his passes with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, even with dynamic rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers at his disposal. The Giants are last in the NFL in scoring and with public sentiment all but gone for the player once known as “Danny Dimes,” Daboll opted to go in a different direction while Jones may have an edge by trying to restart his career elsewhere.