Giants release quarterback Daniel Jones just days after benching him

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Daniel Jones era in New York is over.

The Giants quarterback was granted his release on Friday by the team just days after the franchise said it was benching him in favor of third-stringer Tommy DeVito.

“Daniel came to see me this morning and asked if we would release him," Giants president John Mara said in a statement. “We mutually agreed that would be best for him and for the team. Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way.”

Mara added he was “disappointed” at 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 hold Daniel in high regard and have a great appreciation for him,” Mara continued. “We wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

The 27-year-old Jones told reporters Thursday that he gave the team everything he had after being taken sixth overall in the 2019 draft and he believes he still has a future in the NFL. He held himself accountable for the Giants (2-8) making the postseason once in his tenure as the 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 near 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 taking questions from reporters. “Yeah, not what you want to hear. So, yeah, all those emotions you have. But at the end of the day, this is football. We’re in a business where you're expected to get results and we weren’t doing it.”

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 victories came in 2022, when the Giants went 9-7-1 and beat Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.

Yet whatever forward momentum the club generated in 2022 quickly evaporated in 2023. New York was 1-5 in Jones' six starts during an injury-marred season and he further regressed 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 another direction while Jones can get a head start on trying to reboot his career elsewhere.

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The Associated Press