$45 million the reasons why the Giants’ Daniel Jones talk got off to a bumpy start

NFL

Of Andrew Crane

February 20, 2023 | 17:52

The negotiations with Daniel Jones have had a “much more uneven start than expected” according to The Post’s Ryan Dunleavyand there could be several reasons for that.

Maybe $45 million worth of them.

According to ProFootballTalk, the Giants’ 25-year-old quarterback “will want more than the Giants have offered” — up to as much as $45 million per year “or more.” Jones, who recently switched agents from CAA to Athletes First, is set to enter free agency after the Giants declined his fifth-year option in April.

Jones’ stock rose after he engineered the best season of his career in 2022. He threw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions, while also rushing for another 708 yards and seven touchdowns. The Giants finished 9-7-1 in Brian Daboll’s first season, and the head coach-quarterback duo of Daboll and Jones led the franchise to its first postseason victory since February 2012 with a victory over the Vikings in the NFC wild-card round.

The passing yards and rushing yards were both career highs. The interception total was a career-best, too. Jones was lauded for his improvements by the Giants’ management — from Daboll to general manager Joe Schoen to co-owner John Mara — and instantly became a key part of the team’s desired future just months after it appeared 2022 could be his final year with New York .

That notion made Jones’ looming free agency even harder to dissect. The Post’s Paul Schwartz reported that a five-year, $190 million deal was within the team’s “ball park,” which would average $38 million per year. But if the Giants and Jones can’t come to terms on a multi-year contract, the team can use the $32.4 million franchise tag.

Dunleavy reported that the franchise tag is “very much in play” given the rocky introduction to Jones’ negotiations. The team must also weigh how to balance navigation deals for Jones and star running back Saquon Barkley at the same time.

And with Jones’ rising price tag, as well as agent changes, the window to use the franchise tag between Feb. 21 and March 7 becomes a key window if a long-term deal doesn’t appear to materialize at this stage.