The New York Giants cut bait on quarterback Daniel Jones 1 year before he ended up playing like 1 of the NFL’s best quarterbacks on the Indianapolis Colts in 2025 — a year punctuated by Jones tearing his Achilles tendon late in the season and killing Indy’s playoff hopes.
Less than 1 year removed from that injury, Jones looks like he could be back to his elite form in training camp, doing so while $114 million wide receiver Alex Pierce watches from the sidelines while he deals with his own injury issues.
“Colts QB Daniel Jones was absolutely dealing in his final 11-on-11 session,” Colts reporter Noah Compton wrote on his official X account on Tuesday. “Had numerous 20+ yard connections, each to different passcatchers (Warren, Dulin, Mallory). It’s not like coverage was poor either. Jones was dicing up Indy’s secondary.”
The Colts showed their faith in Jones this offseason — and following his injury — by signing him to a 2-year, $88 million contract.
“Tuesday was definitely the most vertical shots we’ve seen from Jones and the first-team offense,'” 107.5-FM Colts reporter Kevin Bowen wrote. “He connected on notable chunks to Laquon Treadwell, Ashton Dulin, Tyler Warren (a great leaping grab despite close coverage by Cam Bynum) Will Mallory … I had Jones 9-of-11. He had some beautiful throws, including an early TD to Josh Downs in a tight outside window, and later layering the ball to Mallory over the second level of the defense. To steal a phrase from C.J. Stroud, Jones was a ‘ball placement specialist’ on Tuesday.”
Giants Saw Enough of Daniel Jones in 2024
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick by the Giants in the 2019 NFL draft, was released in November 2024 after going 24-44-1 as a starter over 6 seasons.
The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero did a deft job of explaining Jones’ contract situation after he was released — a minefield considering he signed a 4-year, $160 million contract extension in March 2023.
“There’s no adjustment to Daniel Jones’ contract as part of his release,” Pelissero wrote as part of a series of posts on his official X account. “Like all veterans after the trade deadline, Jones is subject to waivers, so any team claiming him would be responsible for the remaining ($11.83 million) he’s guaranteed in 2024, making a claim highly unlikely. Releasing him now means the Giants will take the full $22.21 million dead cap hit in 2025. Jones would’ve counted $41.605M against the cap if he were on the roster, so they save $19.395M in 2025 cap space (plus $30.5M cash) and Jones is off the books in 2026.”
Jones signed with the Minnesota Vikings after he cleared waivers and spent the rest of the 2024 season backing up Sam Darnold — just 1 year before both players would go on to star with different teams.
Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win following the 2025 season.
Giants Drafted 1st-Round QB Jaxson Dart in 2025
The Giants are in training camp with 2025 1st-round pick Jaxson Dart as the clear-cut starter at quarterback for the 1st time.
Dart started his rookie season as the backup to Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson but took over the starting role in Week 4.
Dart was ranked No. 24 and placed into “Tier Three” in The Athletic’s annual position rankings. Jones came in at No. 21.
“Dart was evaluated for a concussion four times in his first nine starts (and once in the preseason), then doubled down on his aggressive playing style,” The Athletic’s Mike Sando wrote. “There’s an NFL old axiom: Young quarterbacks must learn that every time they put themselves or the football at risk, they are risking the livelihoods of the front office, coaching staff and even some teammates.”
Ex-Giants QB Daniel Jones Drawing Rave Reviews at Training Camp