Giants: How one offseason extension could have been approached differently
The New York Giants signed, sealed, and delivered the future of the QB position this offseason when they extended Daniel Jones. A polarizing topic, there are plenty of people on both sides of the fence when it comes to whether or not that was right decision. But even if you fall in the camp that […]
The New York Giants signed, sealed, and delivered the future of the QB position this offseason when they extended Daniel Jones.
A polarizing topic, there are plenty of people on both sides of the fence when it comes to whether or not that was right decision.
But even if you fall in the camp that believes it was a good extension, there is potentially an issue with how this move came about:
Robert Mays is the host of The Athletic Football Show, generating some of the best objective analyses in the business, with a focus on tape study and advanced metrics. In a recent mailbag episode, a listener asked what the Giants can be with Daniel Jones, here's what Mays offered up:
"Three things can be true at the same time," stated Mays. "Daniel Jones can absolutely improve where he has been over the last couple of years, with more time in the offense and with better players around him. That absolutely can happen." "Absolutely he can," added co-host Nate Tice.
"But at the same time, even if you build that in, you can still think that there wasn't a market for him to the degree the giants paid," added Mays. "If they had asked him to go out and look for this contract, I doubt he would have gotten it. That's part of my issue, it's not that the Giants wanted Daniel Jones to be their quarterback, It's that I think they negotiated with themselves when doing this."
Here's the thing…Even the strongest of Daniel Jones supporters (which I am) would argue that he's not an elite-level quarterback, (yet). But the Giants were faced with a dilemma that I think they actually nailed.
Everybody sees the surface-level details of the contract:
$160 million over four years
$40 million a year "label"
Top 10 in APY at signing
But a deeper dive shows that his practical guarantees of $92 million place him at 13th amongst all QBs sandwiched between Derek Carr and Ryan Tannehill. At only 26 and with obvious improvement when he finally got a competent offensive coaching staff, I would say the Giants made a good deal.
My question to Mays would be: What was the alternative?
Let's just say the Giants let Jones test the market. And oh I don't know, a team like the Saints paid that same figure if not more.
Then what?
Now you're going into the second year of a new regime, fresh off an overachieving season, riding a wave of momentum that suddenly crashes as you no longer have a quarterback. Jones had the leverage and he played it appropriately, but the Giants didn't "lose" or overpay in my opinion.
Which side comes out on top will be determined soon enough.
Featured image via: © Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
