Camila Sosa
Daniel Jones‘ 2022 campaign must be the best of his career, something not too difficult to achieve if he wants to keep wearing the NFL in a New York Giants uniform.
According to NFL.com’s Judy Battista, the organization did not exercise the fifth-year option on the quarterback’s contract, so, if he is not taken as a franchise player for the 2023 campaign, he will become a free agent once his performance in the upcoming season is over.
The Giants’ decision was expected after Daniel Jones’ performance in his first three years with the team was nowhere near what was expected when they selected him as the sixth overall pick in the 2019 Draft.
After 38 games played with the Giants, 37 of them as a starter, Jones has never had a campaign with a positive record and his overall record is 12-25. His best year was as a rookie when he threw for 3,027 yards through the air with 24 touchdowns. But that performance declined dramatically when he was not able to surpass 3,000 yards, never threw more than 11 TDs in a year, and barely managed to complete 62.8% of his passes.
In addition to giving him an ultimatum, the Giants are looking to put some pressure on Jones to see if he shows flashes of that rookie campaign again, along with the experience he must have gained in these three seasons with the team.
Had the Giants exercised Jones’ option, it would have guaranteed him a $22 million salary for the 2023 season. If Jones starts in 2022 and plays well, he will certainly be a candidate to be franchise tagged before hitting the open market. But if not, he will become an unrestricted free agent next March.
Yes to Dexter Lawrence, No to Daniel Jones
In a brief statement, in which of course Daniel Jones’ name did not appear, the Giants announced that they were exercising the fifth-year option on defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence‘s contract.
Unlike the quarterback, Lawrence has performed very well for the Giants and has played in all the team’s commitments since being selected, in the 2019 Draft, as the 17th overall pick.
In his first three seasons with the organization, Lawrence recorded a total of nine catches, 14 tackles for loss, 30 hits on the opposing quarterback, forced two fumbles and totaled 135 tackles, 71 of them solo.
With this move, the New York team secures the lineman through the 2023 campaign, when it will be able to negotiate a new contract or even select him as a franchise player.
