Giants Officially Cut Daniel Jones; Next Move?

With a $23 million injury guarantee, his demotion was inevitably permanent. Drew Lock is still the backup, and the team signed veteran Tim Boyle to be the emergency quarterback.

New York no longer needed Jones. And Jones serves little purpose as the scout team safety.

A release - made official on Saturday - offered Jones the relief of being away from the team and the media, while also giving him the chance to carve out a role elsewhere. Given the fact that other teams can benefit in the compensatory pick formula if they sign Jones and he leaves in free agency, there should be a handful of suitors.

And yet, national media outlets, talk show hosts, and social media aggregators would lead one to believe that this is somehow disrespectful.

The Giants are 2-8, Jones is the culprit, and he clearly wasn’t going to see the field again. In amicably splitting, this is easily the next-best outcome for the quarterback. It’s not like New York cost him money by benching him, either.

It’s clear Jones had fans in the locker room. He’s seen nothing but full-throated support from every player that’s spoken publicly about the situation. Those same players may feel he gives the Giants the best chance of winning.

However, Jones has had 10 games to prove himself this season and five years worth of stagnation prior informing the team’s decision.

This was not a spiteful maneuver, ousting an otherwise deserving quarterback for the sake of tanking and a hypothetical $23 million-dollar check. It was an appropriate formality that made things easier on everybody involved.

Now there is speculation and predictions about Jones’ next move. … and he could very well land on his feet.

But in the end? New York did not humiliate its quarterback. It merely took him out of his misery.