Giants sign Daniel Jones to four-year contract

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants announced today they have signed Daniel Jones to a four-year contract that will keep the quarterback in his familiar No. 8 blue jersey for the foreseeable future.

Jones was scheduled to become a free agent at the start of the NFL league year on March 15. If the two sides did not reach an accord by today's 4 p.m. deadline, the Giants would have placed the franchise tag on Jones. That would have given the team and Jones until July 17 to negotiate a multi-year deal. But it also would have restricted the team's ability to sign free agents, because Jones' franchise tag salary of more than $32 million would have occupied a huge chunk of their available space under the salary cap.

"We had productive conversations with Daniel and his representatives over the course of the past week or so," said general manager Joe Schoen. "We are all pleased that we were able to come to an agreement prior to today's deadline. This gives us a greater ability to continue to build our roster."

The long-term contract allows the Giants to sharply reduce the cap number in this and subsequent seasons.

Jones, who turns 26 in May, had his finest season in 2022, his fourth since the Giants selected him sixth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He started a career-high 16 regular-season games and would have played all 17 had the Giants not rested most of their starters in the finale in Philadelphia because they were locked into the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs. The Giants were 9-6-1 in Jones' starts and advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Jones led the Giants to a wild card playoff victory in Minnesota, their first postseason triumph since 2011.

"I said after the season I love this place," Jones said. "I've really enjoyed my time here and I want to be here. I have great respect for this organization, the Maras, the Tisches, my coaches and teammates. I am happy we were able to come to an agreement."

Jones completed a Giants-record 67.2% of his passes, finished with 3,205 passing yards and a 92.5 passer rating, both career highs, and led the NFL and set a franchise record by throwing an interception on just 1.1% of his passes (five in 472 throws). Kurt Warner (1.4 in 2004) and Jeff Hostetler (1.4 in 1991) are only other Giants quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to lead qualified passers in interception percentage in a season.

In addition to his passing prowess, Jones was second on the team with 708 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, both records for a Giants quarterback.

Jones was the fourth quarterback in NFL history with at least 3,200 passing yards, a 65+ completion percentage and 700 or more rushing yards in a season.

In the playoff victory against the Vikings, Jones completed 24 of 35 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 78 yards. He was the first quarterback in NFL postseason history with 300+ passing yards, two touchdown passes, and 70+ rushing yards in a game.

With Jones' services secured, the Giants placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Saquon Barkley. This will allow them to continue negotiations for a long-term contract with Barkley until the July 17 deadline, and prioritize conversations with some of their other free agents, including safety Julian Love; wide receivers Richie James, Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard; offensive linemen Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates; and linebacker Jihad Ward.