EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Daniel Jones isn’t the starting quarterback of the New York Giants anymore. That much we knew already. The Giants announced Monday that they had decided to bench Jones in favor of Tommy DeVito.
But just how far Jones had fallen down the depth chart didn’t become apparent until Wednesday, when the Giants conducted their first practice open to the media since the decision was made.
Jones was the fourth quarterback to take reps during individual drills Wednesday. He waited his turn behind DeVito, Drew Lock and recent practice squad signee Tim Boyle. Team sources said Jones did not participate during the team periods of Wednesday’s practice.
Daniel Jones was QB4 today in individuals. Behind practice squad QB Tim Boyle in first open practice to media since he was benched pic.twitter.com/iTnlsRvSFq
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) November 20, 2024
All of this means Jones, the former six-year starter and face of the franchise, might not even serve as the team’s emergency third quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Giants coach Brian Daboll declined to answer whether that would be his role, saying the team would make depth chart decisions later in the week.
Obviously, the $23 million injury guarantee in Jones’ contract could be a factor. If Jones suffers a major injury and can’t pass a physical by mid-March, the Giants would owe him $12 million. The additional $11 million becomes guaranteed at the start of the 2025 season. The Giants probably don’t want to roll the dice on Jones getting injured if they’re planning to move on from him after the season, which is likely.
It’s certainly a new day in the Meadowlands, and the locker room is dealing with this new reality. On Tuesday, team captain Dexter Lawrence expressed his displeasure with the decision.
“You’ve got to respect it as a player even though you don’t like it,” he said. The All-Pro defensive lineman called Jones, “the best quarterback on the team.”
When asked about Lawrence’s comments, Daboll said Wednesday, “Everybody’s not going to agree with the decision, and I understand that. We make the decision we feel is best, and then we move forward.”
Daboll said he was not concerned about the prospect of losing the locker room in the wake of this decision.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
Daboll’s locker room was open Wednesday, giving more players a chance to speak about the QB change. Among them was wide receiver Darius Slayton, who was a fifth-round pick in the same 2019 draft class as Jones and Lawrence. Slayton has been a longtime friend and vocal supporter of Jones. When asked if he believed Jones was the best quarterback in the room, Slayton replied, “Yeah. I think he was our starter for a reason.”
“I believe in DJ,” the wide receiver continued. “I know he’s a really good football player, but at the end of the day, we haven’t gotten the results we needed to get. Things like this only happen because we have two wins. So obviously there’s going to be things that change.”
When asked how this decision would impact the Giants locker room, Slayton pointed to the reaction elicited by the comment he posted on — “A free man!” — on former Giants cornerback Nick McCloud’s Instagram.
The #Giants released DB Nick McCloud last week and has since signed to the #49ers practice squad.
His former Giant teammate Darius Slayton, whose name has come up in trade talks for over a year, commented “a free man.” pic.twitter.com/KjO9iWUi14
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) November 17, 2024
McCloud was cut after the team had been squeezing him to take a pay cut for weeks, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Slayton said the Instagram comment was an inside joke with McCloud.
“I think that’s kind of the narrative that’s trying to be pushed right now, that we’re all imploding, off of my Instagram comment,” Slayton said. “I’m going to be here regardless. I’ve been here for six years, chose to come back here and sign an extension. I’m happy to be here. I’m doing my best to try to help us win. And whoever’s back there playing quarterback and in the game, I think everybody in here at the end of the day wants to win. Whether it was you or him or Steve from down the street, we’re gonna ride behind him and do our best to help him and help Tommy succeed come Sunday.”
On a follow-up, Slayton said the locker room is not imploding and the focus is on winning games over the next seven weeks.
That charge will now be spearheaded by DeVito.
“We understand how things went down, and you feel for other people because everybody is a human being, and especially in New York, it’s a pretty wild market, with a lot of the outside noise and media,” DeVito said. “It can be swayed either way, but just continue to stay tight, especially in our group. We’re a really tight group in our (QB) room, and we cheer each other on.”
While the group is supportive of each other, that doesn’t mean everyone is happy with the decision that was made. Jones isn’t scheduled to speak to the media until Thursday, but Lock, whom the Giants bypassed in favor of DeVito, admitted Wednesday that he was “upset” by the team’s decision.
Lock had been serving all season as Jones’ primary backup, so it seemed like he would assume the role of starter once Jones was benched. Obviously, that wasn’t what the Giants wanted.
While Lock was “disappointed” by the decision, he vowed not to let that affect his approach. He said he would do everything he could to support DeVito.
“If you get to be the backup all year, and the time comes, and you end up still being a backup, you’re upset,” Lock said. “You want to be playing; everybody wants to play. (But) my disappointment will not show one bit, around anyone in this facility or after that meeting upstairs. … I’ll handle this like a pro. I’ll be professional. That’s something I’d pride myself in. I’m not going to be a guy that tears apart the locker room.”
Lock said he met individually with Daboll and GM Joe Schoen on Monday. The coach and GM met with each of the team’s three quarterbacks that day to go over their decision. When it came to what was the separator between him and DeVito, Lock said coaches kept referring back to last season and the “spark” DeVito gave the team.
“That’s what they know. That’s what they’ve seen,” Lock said. “The time in the preseason. That’s what their decision was based on. That’s what they’re going with.
“Couldn’t tangibly put it into X’s and O’s, but there was a feeling when he played, and I didn’t get to show that to them.”
Lock added that he does not regret signing with New York this offseason and doesn’t feel like he was misled.
“I’ve always been: ‘Go with your gut,’” Lock said. “Your decision is your decision. What happens in life is supposed to happen. I’m looking at this as something good’s going to come from this, and that’s how I’m going to approach everything today. Live by that. Stay strong in that. Keep pressing on.”
(Photo of Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
