Daniel Jones’ time as the starting quarterback for the New York Giants has come to an end.
The Giants decided to bench the 27-year-old quarterback on Monday, and coach Brian Daboll announced that Tommy DeVito will start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. The change comes as the team looks to end its five-game losing streak.
Jones will now be the third-string quarterback for the remaining seven games of the season, with veteran Drew Lock remaining as the backup.
Daboll explained that the team needed a change to spark some improvements, saying, “Obviously not playing the way any of us want to play, and that on all of us. But felt like this was a decision that we needed to make here to try to spark things, change things up and we went with Tommy again.”
Daboll mentioned that he had spoken with Jones on Monday but wouldn’t reveal the details of their conversation, except that Jones wanted to keep his starting role. He also chose not to discuss his talks with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch.
The Giants are 2-8 and appear to be heading toward another losing season. One of the key decisions the team will have to make soon is about Jones’ future with the team. He still has two years and $80 million left on his contract. Another decision is about the futures of Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, both of whom were hired in 2022.
By not playing Jones for the rest of the season, the Giants hope to avoid a situation where he gets injured and triggers a $23 million guarantee on his contract for next year. Daboll confirmed that Jones would stay with the team for the rest of the season.
Coach Daboll said the conversation with Jones wasn’t easy. “We had a talk right before the meeting today,” Daboll said. “Never easy. Got a lot of respect for how he goes about his business, for how Drew does for how he does. Those aren’t easy conversations.”
This move comes after the Giants went into their bye week following a tough overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in Germany on November 10. During the bye week, the coaching staff reviewed film and decided a change was needed.
Daboll mentioned that other players might also see more playing time in the remaining games for evaluation purposes.
Jones has thrown for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He has struggled in his last 16 starts, with a record of 3-13. The Giants’ offense has been the worst in the league, ranking last in scoring with just 15.6 points per game.
In 2022, Jones earned a four-year, $160 million contract after leading the Giants to an unexpected playoff appearance. But after an injury-plagued 2022 season, including a neck injury and ACL tear, he has been inconsistent this year, playing behind a struggling offensive line.
Daboll, who helped develop Josh Allen in Buffalo, never managed to get Jones back to the form he showed in 2022, when Jones threw 15 touchdowns, rushed for seven, had five interceptions, and completed 67% of his passes. For his career, Jones has 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
Daboll admitted that the struggles aren’t just on Jones, saying, “It’s just not on Daniel, you know that’s on me, that’s on an entire offensive performance.” He added that the decision to start DeVito was made to try and spark the offense.
“He did some nice things when he was in there and he played as a rookie. And I know he’s eager for the opportunity.”
DeVito, a rookie free agent out of Illinois, had been the third-string quarterback every game this season but will now get a chance to start.
He started six games as a rookie last year after both Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor were injured, posting a 3-3 record. Daboll pointed out that DeVito had more than 700 snaps in preseason and as a starter last year and has practiced well this season, with a better understanding of the offense in his second year.
“We’ll do everything to get him ready,” Daboll said.
Looking ahead, the Giants are likely to have a high draft pick, and it’s expected they will select a quarterback. However, the 2025 draft is not considered strong in quarterbacks.
