The New York Giants saw their season come to an end on Saturday night with a crushing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs.
For many, including quarterback Daniel Jones, that means the clock has started ticking on their future. He is an impending unrestricted free agent after the team declined to pick up his fifth-year option.
There were no negotiations between Jones and the Giants during the team’s bye week and when asked about a potential return following Saturday’s loss, the former first-round pick sounded very non-committal.
“I think we will get into that down the road. At this point, this is still very fresh. This season. This loss. It will take some time to regroup and think through that going forward,” Jones told reporters.
Jones did note that the future seemed bright for the Giants but when pressed, he again avoided giving a definitive statement on his desire to return.
“Like I said, we will cross that bridge when we get there. I really enjoyed playing here. I appreciate all of those guys in the locker room. It is a special group of guys and I have really enjoyed being a part of it,” he said. “We will figure out where that goes, but I have nothing but love and respect for this organization and the group of guys in the locker room.”
On Wednesday, as the team packed up their lockers, Jones did say he’d love to remain with the Giants but admits there’s a “business side” to the NFL.
The 25-year-old Jones made major strides in 2022 despite the ugly ending, and many experts around the league believe he earned himself a potentially lucrative contract. The Giants could use the franchise tag on DJ to keep him in tow, but he seems like a player who is keeping his options open.
