Companies spend countless dollars to learn what hooks an audience in this era of short attention spans, but sometimes it’s not that complicated. And you know the content is engaging when it leads people straight to the comments section, searching through endless screenshots to reply with their best meme.
The latest content gold from the NFL world was ProFootballTalk’s report last week that Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is possibly seeking as much as $45 million per year for his next contract. That, of course, led to tweets from various media outlets and content creators who already knew they would generate engagement by simply writing, “Daniel Jones wants $45 million a year,” followed by a few emoji.
If you’re familiar with Jones’s career since he was drafted No. 6 by New York in 2019, you already have an idea of how the comments looked (a lot of GIFs of dogs looking confused). ESPN provided confirmation of the Jones report by saying, “It’s real.” That alone should tell you that not many believe Jones is worthy of being a $45 million–per-year quarterback. And maybe the Giants are among that group.
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But Giants GM Joe Schoen probably doesn’t think it’s an “out of hand” number, because the quarterback pay scale continues to ascend.
“If it gets out of hand and it’s out of our comfort zone, we have the [franchise] tag,” Schoen said Tuesday in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine. “We’re gonna try to get Daniel done. We wouldn’t be in this situation and negotiating with Daniel if we didn’t want him to be our quarterback.”
The Giants want Jones for the long haul, but the Duke product knows very well his worth for the position he plays, and he didn’t need to change agents to figure that out. Jones was represented by CAA for his first four NFL seasons before switching to Athletes First last month.
If you examine the quarterback market, it would make sense for Jones’s representatives to ask for $45 million annually. You shoot high and bargain later. That’s how negotiating works. And it’s not a laughable number, despite what some say.
“Forty-five million dollars?” Boomer Esiason said on his WFAN radio show in New York. “You’re out of your mind. You gotta understand who you are. Fifteen touchdowns and five interceptions is not getting you $45 million a year. It’s just not. His worth is somewhere between $27 [million] and $32 million a year.”
Sure, Jones’s career numbers don’t say he’s a top-five quarterback. But Esiason’s evaluation of Jones isn’t accurate, with the pay scale for top-tier quarterbacks already reaching $50 million annually after the contract extension Aaron Rodgers signed last year with the Packers.
Rodgers is the only quarterback making that right now, but he might not be alone for long with Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts all due for extensions. Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen all make $43 million or more annually.
So, say the Giants and Jones compromise at $40 million annually for the contract extension. If Jackson, Burrow, Herbert and Hurts cash in, Jones would be—in this scenario—the 11th-highest-paid quarterback annually.
If that doesn’t sound right, landing on $39 million would slot him 13th, behind Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott. Everyone feel better?
Putting aside Jones’s subpar career numbers and his 21-31-1 career record (yes, it’s a lot to put aside), the Giants noticed improvements in Year 1 under Coach of the Year Brian Daboll. Jones cut down the turnovers, showed command of the offense and got his team into the playoffs, despite a lackluster group of skill players.
Jones is definitely a top-15 quarterback, and the price tag for that ranking is certainly above $32 million, which is this year’s salary for the nonexclusive franchise tag for quarterbacks.
It’s fair to say Jones should be evaluated for one more season before signing him to a lucrative long-term contract, but the Giants didn’t think he warranted another showcase year after they declined the fifth-year option on his rookie deal last April. That was a telling sign of how the organization felt about Jones at the time, and now many want Jones to do the team a favor by not using his leverage during contract negotiations.
And if the Giants don’t want to pay Jones $45 million annually or get close to that number, history shows a different team will likely pay him what he wants. Kirk Cousins got his fully guaranteed multiyear contract from the Vikings after Washington tagged him in back-to-back seasons.
The Cowboys realized someone else would meet Prescott’s contract demands and got a deal done after Prescott played in only five games in 2020 because of an ankle injury.
If the respective teams for Jackson, Herbert, Burrow or Hurts don’t pay them what they desire, some team will.
Jones knows his worth, and you don’t get what you want without at least asking.
Perhaps the franchise tag is the best route for this situation, which would mean Jones betting on himself this year. However, even though that would result in a smaller salary, it would actually take up a bigger percentage of the Giants’ salary cap, with running back Saquon Barkley and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence also due for extensions.
“We gotta draw a line in the sand,” Schoen said in Indy. “We’re not going any further. If it goes past this, all right, let’s shift to plan B.”
Plan B is the franchise tag, and no one wants that. So, $45 million, you say? The Giants should be listening.
