"That's a clown show": 3x Super Bowl champion blasts Giants after benching $160,000,000 Daniel Jones
On Monday, the New York Giants officially benched quarterback Daniel Jones. This comes shortly after the Giants extended Jones to a four-year $160 million contract extension in March 2023. In the last two seasons, Jones has played terribly, going 3-13 as a starter. Moreover, he has thrown 10 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and passed for less than 3,000 yards.
Three-time Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth sounded off on the Giants' decision to bench Jones for Tommy DeVito, questioning why Drew Lock isn't starting.
"This is why the Giants suck," Schlereth said. "Drew Lock has been your backup quarterback for the entirety of the season, right? He was the guy if Daniel Jones was going to get hurt, he was the guy that was going in. He was good enough ... But as soon as you decide to bench Daniel Jones, you decide to go with the side show Tommy cutlets, because, why? Because your fan base will get excited ... You're a bad franchise."
"You need to attract free agents to come to your franchise," Schlereth continued. "If I'm a free agent player, and all things being equal, from a money standpoint, I look at this clown show versus some other team. I'm not going to the Giants. That's a clown show. That guy worked all year to be the backup to get his opportunity."
New York Giants can move on from Daniel Jones this upcoming offseason
Though the New York Giants did sign Daniel Jones to a four-year $160 million contract extension before the 2023 season, only half of the contract is guaranteed. The Giants could move on from him during the 2025 offseason, taking on just $22.2 million in dead-cap space.
There is a $23 million injury guarantee if Jones were to get hurt and couldn't pass a physical in the offseason. The Giants by making Jones their third-string quarterback behind Drew Lock all but guarantees that they did that to avoid having to pay Jones an additional $23 million.
It seems evident that the Giants may move on from Jones this offseason and he could be on a different team next season.