Daniel Jones reportedly asked for staggering figure in Giants contract talks
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones entered this offseason with the goal in mind of securing a long-term extension with the franchise.
Jones accomplished just that, signing a four-year, $160 million extension with $82 million in guarantees and another $35 million available in incentives. Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported Wednesday, however, that before the two sides came to an agreement, the 26-year-old came to the table asking for $47 million per year.
Jones would have become the fifth-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL in terms of average salary. Instead, he comfortably sits $12 million short of the league’s highest-paid quarterback in the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.
Jones, 26, enjoyed a breakout season in 2022 under first-year head coach Brian Daboll. Jones led New York to its first winning record (9-7-1) and playoff appearance since 2016. He threw for a career-high 3,205 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions on 67.2% passing. He added 708 yards and seven scores on the ground — displaying his dual-threat capabilities.
With raised expectations heading into the 2023 season, Jones believes the Giants can “compete with anybody.”
“We’re confident,” Jones recently said, via the New York Post, “and we know we can compete with anybody.”
Jones added: “We feel like we made progress last year and took a step, but what we do from this point on, you start over. It’s about what you do now. We had a good spring, and we have to roll that into training camp and make sure we do everything we can.”
Daniel Jones leading new-look Giants offense in 2023
The 2023 version of the Giants’ offense is set to look a bit different from the one that took the field in 2022, thanks to some offseason acquisitions. New York acquired star tight end Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders and signed receivers Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder in free agency. Jones spent much of mandatory minicamp last month developing chemistry with his new weapons, which he recently discussed on the “Giants Huddle” podcast.
“We made a lot of progress,” Jones said. “I feel like all the guys we’ve brought in are real pros from the sense of how they go about their work, how they study, how they work on the field, their attention to detail. You can tell watching film and just how important the smaller aspects of route-running, of the past concepts, you know, how in-tune they are with all that stuff. So it’s been fun working with them, and they’re really good players. I’m excited to continue working with them this summer and then into training camp.”