Pitting Giants' Daniel Jones contract against Cardinals' $230M Kyler Murray extension: Which NFL team got fleeced?
Last year, Kyler Murray's negotiations with the Arizona Cardinals were arguably the most knocked by fans. This year, Daniel Jones' deal could be the source of the most fallout.
However, which team got the worse end of the stick? Here's a look at both deals and which one was the worst of the two.
Most recently, the New York Giants made Jones a rich man. However, heading into the year, the quarterback had been near the bottom of the pecking order in terms of wins. Between 2019 and 2021, he was 12-25 as a starter. After getting his fifth-year option declined, he jumped into high gear, going 9-6-1 in 2022.
Will the New York Giants reach the playoffs again in 2023?
Daniel Jones won a playoff game as well, leaving some wondering if he rallied just to secure a new deal. 2023 will be the indicator, but not many fourth-year breakouts remain sustainable for long.
Either way, the Giants decided to roll the dice, buying into the logic that fourth-year Jones is the true version of the player.
The deal is worth $160 million and runs through 2026. He will earn between 30 and $46 million per year, according to Spotrac.
Kyler Murray shows how Daniel Jones' deal could look by 2024
In comparison to Daniel Jones, Kyler Murray took the slow, steady road to prevelance. His touchdowns and interceptions ranged from 20-26 in his first three years and his interceptions stayed under 13.
However, the biggest source of his growth was in the win column. He went 5-10-1 in his rookie season.
In 2020, Murray went 8-8 and in 2021, he went 9-5, taking the team to the playoffs for the first time since the Bruce Arians era. However, like Jones, he demanded a boost in pay immediately following his first playoff appearance.
In his first year since the deal, the Cardinals quarterback saw career-lows in multiple categories. He threw for a career-low 14 touchdowns and won just three games.
Daniel Jones is the *only QB in the modern passing era* to play 10+ games for 3 consecutive years and throw fewer TDs than games played every year:
2020: 14 games played… 11 pass TDs
2021: 11 games played… 10 pass TDs
2022: 16 games played… 15 pass TDs https://t.co/2s8bKS5xON
Kyler Murray's deal was bigger than Daniel Jones' as well, with the former earning $230 million on a deal that runs through 2028. If the Giants miss, they're stuck with Jones until 2026.
However, the Cardinals are paying more for their quarterback and are tied to him for longer. Additionally, Arizona has already seen an example of how Murray looks under the deal.
the 18 longest passes from Kyler Murray in 2022
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Murray went 1-of-18 on these attempts
613 total air yards
only 32 yards gained
his 5.6% is the lowest completion % for any QB targeting these distances since at least 2000
longest attempt first…ordered in descending length https://t.co/mnhfGhZyES
At this point, there is still a chance that things will work out for the New York Giants and their quarterback, even if Brian Daboll is the true source of their success. As such, while both franchises could be in a better spot at the position, the Giants have set themselves up for the least pain if the worst comes to pass.