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.
#Giants QB Daniel Jones's price tag is believed to be between $35 and $37 million per year, according to @Connor_J_Hugheshttps://t.co/EYd42fo9u6 pic.twitter.com/1ssfenUMVb
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 7, 2023
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.
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