Getty The New York Giants are "headed to the tag" with one of their top free agents.
Joe Schoen doesn’t want to have to choose who gets the franchise tag between Daniel Jones or Saquon Barkley. The New York Giants’ general manager would rather sign both of his top free agents to new long-term contracts, but ESPN’s Dianna Russini thinks it’s inevitable one of those big names will be tagged.
Jones is likely to be tagged, according to Russini, who told NFL on ESPN “it seems that this thing is headed to the tag because they are too spread out in terms of the money they are willing to pay Daniel Jones and what Daniel Jones’ camp is looking for.”
If the Giants aren’t going to budge on what they believe Jones is worth, then the tag will be the only way to keep the quarterback after his breakout season in 2022. It won’t be a palatable compromise for either side.
Franchise Tag Lesser of Two Evils for Giants
It’s understandable Jones wouldn’t be thrilled about being tagged. Not after he enjoyed a banner campaign during which he posted career-highs for passing yards (3,205) and yards on the ground (708).
Jones threw for just 15 touchdowns, but he did rush for seven more, including two against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17 to seal a playoff spot:
Daniel Jones gained 54 yards & scored 2 TD on 7 scramble runs in the Giants’ playoff-clinching victory over the Colts.
Jones on Scramble Runs (2022):
🔹 60 carries (2nd in NFL)
🔹 456 yards (3rd)
🔹 33 first downs (3rd)
The Giants relied on their quarterback’s dual-threat skills more and more down the stretch, but Jones also made strides as a passer. He posted a career-best 350 on-target throws, compared to a career-low 54 poor throws, per Pro Football Reference.
Jones’ accuracy improved, despite him throwing to an unheralded group of receivers who dropped 29 of his passes. Numbers like those are why Jones and his new reps believe he’s earned a bumper payday.
The Giants are expecting Jones to ask for “maybe in excess of $45 million” per season, according to SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes:
“What might be best for him is not demanding the most money right now. The Giants are not going to pay Daniel Jones $45 million.”
@Connor_J_Hughes joins @JSB_TV to talk Daniel Jones’ contract talks on @Honda SportsNite: t.co/FHqXGIRw8V
As Hughes also pointed out, this demand could force Schoen’s hand in terms of the tag, even though it would cost $32.4 million. It’s a hefty price, but the Giants may be wise to take the short-term pain involved in the cost, rather than banking on Jones’ 2022 performances being more than an outlier.
Giants Should Play It Safe When Assessing 2022
Jones delivered the goods in 2022, but there’s a reason Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll declined his fifth-year option when they took over last offseason. The player drafted sixth overall in 2019 had stumbled through three uneven seasons beset by injuries and turnovers.
Although Jones became a more efficient QB1 on Daboll’s watch, he still led a passing game bereft of big plays. The Giants produced an NFL-worst 28 completions of 20-plus yards.
Jones can legitimately cry poverty about the quality of targets he had to aim for, but the lack of consistency in his career should worry the money men at MetLife Stadium. Schoen already sounds concerned, telling Peter Schrager on Good Morning Football: “I wish we were a little bit closer on a deal.”
“Things ramped up pretty quick with his new group and we’ve had productive talks throughout this week. We met Monday, Tuesday, we met yesterday with them, and we’ll continue to talk and see if we can get something done before Tuesday.”
– @Giants GM Joe Shoen on Daniel Jones
Schoen’s reference to a “time crunch” concerns the deadline for applying franchise tags, Tuesday, March 7. It may be easier for the Giants to move ahead with the tag now rather than let negotiations drag.
Using the tag would incentivise Jones to prove himself again, the way he did when Schoen declined his option a year ago. It would also safeguard the Giants from Jones’ production declining.
There’s a third advantage to tagging to the quarterback. While it would eat into the $43,151,832 worth of space under the salary cap currently at Schoen’s disposal, the GM would still be able to get creative about making more room ahead of handing a multi-year deal to Barkley.
Running backs traditionally get paid less than quarterbacks, so freeing space for Barkley’s next deal will be less of a challenge than accommodating Jones. Barkley is the true bluechip talent on the roster and the free agent the Giants would find most difficult to credibly replace.