Impending free-agent QB Daniel Jones‘ price tag is “somewhere between $35 and $37 million” annually, according to SNY NFL insider Connor Hughes — a figure the Giants probably must pay.
Per OverTheCap.com, the annual figure would place Jones, 25, in the top 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
Whether or not Jones is a top-10 quarterback doesn’t matter. The potential price tag is a result of the market shifting significantly for quarterbacks over the past five years.
Several teams — including the Colts, Commanders, Raiders, Jets and Buccaneers — enter the offseason needing a starting quarterback. If Giants general manager Joe Schoen doesn’t offer Jones a lucrative deal, another franchise certainly will.
Because of a limited “young” QB market, Jones has leverage. Other free-agent QBs who will hit the market — Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr, Baker Mayfield — aren’t appealing for a team coming off its first playoff appearance since 2016.
New York has the 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft — too low to select from the consensus top tier of college QBs (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis). New York would have to package its first-round pick and much more to trade up for one of the three.
New York has minimal options. The Giants’ best move seems obvious: pay Jones.
