Daniel Jones' Week 17 performance will force Giants to pay him in the offseason

The Giants were sizable favorites heading into their game Sunday against the Colts. Indianapolis is a team finishing out the schedule and already making off-season plans. 

However, the game was still one of the biggest in years for the G-Men. A victory would clinch a playoff spot for the first time in six years.

Jones, sixth pick overall in the 2019 NFL Draft was a key part player for three of those lackluster years. This season was a make-or-break for the Duke standout and there is no denying his influence on this now 9-6-1 team.

While Daniel Jones was nowhere close to earning Pro Bowl honors and only threw for 300 yards once this season, he has been rock solid leading a Giants offense with limited talent to throw to. 

With the help of Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Jones has become a fully realized dual-threat QB with the ability to make plays in big moments.

Daniel Jones showed all of the above in leading the Giants to a dominant playoff-clinching win in Week 17. 

The QB only tossed 177 yards through the air, however, he was highly effective as he his on 19 of his 24 passes, and continued to set new team rushing records for QBs with a team-leading 91 rushing yards.

However, his four touchdowns (two each passing and running) were monumental. In the biggest game of the season, Jones played at a high-level and delivered when the team needed it and making first downs with his arm and legs.

Despite a tough loss in Minnesota in Week 16, Daniel Jones has played well in the biggest games of his career over three straight weeks and has brought the Giants back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. 

In a results-based business where quarterbacks make or break coaching and front office regimes, Jones guaranteed a big contract is coming his way this offseason from the Giants or another team.

Is Daniel Jones a Pro Bowl-level signal caller? No. Could he continue to evolve into one? Maybe. But, did he prove he can be a winning QB in the NFL this season? Yes, and that will make you a very wealthy professional athlete.

There is no position with more scrutinized in sports than quarterback — especially for New York’s most popular football team. 

However, despite being called injury prone for years, and a first-round draft bust, Brian Daboll proved Jones had the talent to elevate his game and an offense.

While a case could be made that the Giants should not give Jones a massive long-term deal, letting him walk and taking their chances on the free agent market or in a trade has risks. 

Plus, their is no guarantee they will land an upgrade in the offseason. Daniel Jones may not bring the Giants another Super Bowl title, but he makes them a very good team and they are far better with him than without.

With that in mind, what will it take to keep their QB on the roster and maintain the cap flexibility long-term to get some better weapons around him? 

While Giants fans may not like, they will have to surpass the century mark to retain Jones.

Daniel Jones’ won’t get him a ridiculous deal like the elite at the position have, but after a playoff-bound season, a deal in the range of what Carson Wentz got in 2020 (four years, $128M) or Ryan Tannehill received from the Titans the same year (four-year, $118M) is likely.