Giants QB’s $23M Injury Clause May Send Him to the Bench

The New York Giants face a choice familiar to other rudderless NFL teams in recent years, as they ponder the cost of maintaining the status quo at quarterback.

Giants starter Daniel Jones has struggled this season, and the Giants (2-8) took their fifth straight loss in Munich, Germany, on Sunday. His poor performance against the shaky Carolina Panthers—New York went scoreless in the first half against the league’s worst defense—capped a rough first 10 games.

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Now, the team must decide whether to end the Jones era that has resulted in one playoff win in the last six years. Giants head coach Brian Daboll is considering benching him—and Jones’ contract could offer a rationale beyond his on-field play.

Jones currently has an injury guarantee clause in his contract that if triggered will force the Giants to pay him $23 million next year. He’s the latest quarterback to experience this kind of dance after Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos) went through it last year. The Raiders also sat Derek Carr (now with the Saints) two years ago when the playoffs were out of reach to avoid triggering a clause that would have paid him $33 million guaranteed.

“When you can negotiate an injury guarantee in a contract, it should be a feather in your cap, but in fact it can be used as a weapon against you, and Daniel Jones is an example of that,” NFL agent Brad Blank said in an interview. “If he had no injury guarantee, then maybe they would just leave him out there.”

No decision has been made on Jones’ future, though his lack of first-team quarterback reps in practice Tuesday suggested the team is seriously considering a potential switch to backup Drew Lock. Giants senior vice president and general manager Joe Schoen downplayed the practice structure and told reporters Jones’ contract language won’t factor into whatever decision is made.

“It will be a football decision,” he said on Tuesday. “Any decision we make moving forward as we evaluate…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-qb-23m-injury-clause-170000615.html

Author : Sportico

Publish date : 2024-11-13 17:00:00

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