Daniel Jones' $160,000,000 contract scrutinized after disastrous first half vs Cowboys - "Can’t believe they gave him that money"
Daniel Jones caught starys after the Giants quarterback struggled against the Cowboys in the first half of their season opener for the 2023 NFL season. It was a disastrous performance as the Giants trailed 26-0 at the break.
Daniel Jones completed 5 of his 14 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions for an 8.3 passer rating. There was a time before the Cowboys eased off towards the end of the second quarter, when he had 3 of 9 passes for 14 yards and two interceptions.
It was a horrendous performance, and fans were on his back. Jones had signed a $160 million four-year contract during this offseason. Many felt that he had been overpaid for leading them to the playoffs last season, while the overall performance across his NFL career had been middling. That was thrown into sharp relief when the Giants struggled to retain Saquon Barkley and not giving him the money the running back wanted.
All of that was bubbling under the surface and a poor performance on Sunday was enough to raise these questions again.
Fans did not hesitate to berate the quarterback on social media. One tweeted:
"Daniel Jones is sorry I can't believe they gave him that money. This is terrible."
Here are some of the best reactions on X, formerly known as Twitter:
Does Daniel Jones' $160 million contract deserve scrutiny after the first half on Sunday?
Daniel Jones might be partially to blame for the abysmal first-half performance that the Giants served up against the Cowboys, but he was not the only one to underperform.
The rain did not help, as it made passing difficult. On his first seven drop backs, he was pressured six times. Micah Parsons was a beast throughout this period.
When he did take them down the field on the first drive with some scrambles and handoffs to Saquon Barkley, the field goal was blocked and returned for a touchdown. That was not Jones' fault.
His night got unluckier, though, when he thought that he had completed a pass to Barkley later in the first quarter, only for him to cough up the ball on contact with Trevon Diggs. That, too, was returned for a touchdown.
Towards the end of the half, when he again took them into the field goal range, Graham Gano could not convert. None of that was Jones' fault, though. However, with $160 million in the kitty, the quarterback is also supposed to be a leader when things are down. He could not accomplish that in the first half.