New York Giants Bench Daniel Jones, Turn to Tommy DeVito at Quarterback

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders in East Rutherford, N.J., on Nov. 7, 2021. Bill Kostroun/AP Photo

Amidst a five-game losing streak, the New York Giants are switching things up for their Week 12 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the team announced it is benching starting quarterback Daniel Jones.

Head coach Brian Daboll announced the move on Monday, following the team’s Week 11 bye, and the Giants will now turn to second-year player Tommy DeVito.

Not only is Jones being demoted to the bench, but he won’t even have the backup role come Sunday. He has been demoted to third-string behind DeVito, who was previously the team’s No. 3 quarterback, and Drew Lock, who has been the backup and remains the No. 2.

“So, we’re making a quarterback switch here from Daniel, and we’re gonna go with Tommy,” Daboll told reporters on Monday morning before noting he spoke with all three quarterbacks beforehand to let them know the plan moving forward.

“After evaluating a bunch of things and looking at a lot of tape, and being around Tommy last year where he created a little bit of a spark for us, that’s the reason why we’re going with Tommy,” Daboll said.

“It’s never an easy conversation to have with the players, but we felt like this was the necessary move for us. We look forward to working with Tommy and getting him ready to go against Tampa.”

The tipping point for Jones may have come in New York’s last game before its bye, a Week 10 defeat to a Carolina Panthers team, which entered the contest just 4-22 over its previous 26 games. The game occurred in Munich, Germany, but Jones was facing his hometown team as he was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jones’ performance likely made many Charlotteans happy as he had zero touchdowns, two interceptions and completed under 60 percent of his passes. Jones’ passer rating of 50.5 was the sixth-worst of his career, despite facing a defense that is categorically the worst in the NFL, ranking last in points allowed and third-down defense, amongst a host of other stats.

For the season, Jones has eight touchdowns versus seven interceptions while also having two rushing touchdowns and two lost fumbles. Despite ranking ninth in pass attempts, Jones is just 19^th in passing yards and has struggled to get the ball down the field.

His completion percentage of 63.3 ranks 28^th out of 36 qualified quarterbacks, while his passer rating of 79.4 ranks 32^nd.  The four quarterbacks with worse passer ratings consist of three players who have been benched this year—Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young, and Jacoby Brissett—as well as Deshaun Watson, who is out for the season.

As a team, and with Jones at the helm, New York has the league’s worst-scoring offense at 15.6 points per game. The team’s eight passing touchdowns are the fewest in the league, and the Giants are also dead last in the all-important stat of red zone scoring.

After a career season in 2022, in which he ranked sixth in the NFL in QBR, and led the Giants to a playoff victory, Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension before the 2023 season. While it appears New York is ready to move on from Jones after the season, there is also a financial incentive to bench Jones. He has a $23 million injury guarantee for next season if he is unable to pass a physical next offseason. Thus, benching him keeps him healthy and all but guarantees that he will be able to pass his physical, and thus, the Giants won’t be on the hook for the $23 million.

The Giants aren’t the first team to consider the salary cap with their starting quarterback. Last year, the Broncos essentially did the same thing by benching Russell Wilson late in the year to avoid having to pay out an injury guarantee.

So, given his underwhelming performance and contract situation, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Jones is getting benched. What is a bit of a surprise is that the team is turning to DeVito, who was third-string, ahead of the backup in Lock.

Tommy DeVito, #15 of the New York Giants, runs with the ball during the second half of a preseason game against the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Aug. 8, 2024. Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

DeVito, who is a local fan favorite because he is from New Jersey, was undrafted out of Illinois last season but did end up starting six games in 2023. He went 3-3 in those contests and at least provided a spark that was otherwise absent from the team. The Giants won three straight starts under DeVito at one point, and they failed to have even a two-game winning streak throughout any of the 11 combined starts by Jones and Tyrod Taylor.

Lock has 23 games of NFL starting experience and would presumably give New York a better chance at winning than the inexperienced DeVito. But perhaps that’s not the intention of New York, which is all but eliminated from postseason consideration with the worst record in the NFC.

Every loss from here on out betters the chances of New York nabbing a top pick in next spring’s draft. Given Jones’ contract situation and that both Lock and DeVito are in the final years of their deals, there’s a good chance that New York’s 2025 starting quarterback is not on its current roster.

“I think look, like I said, Tommy’s been improving since he’s been here,” Daboll said. “Again, I have confidence in Drew as well. Just felt like this was the right move to make with Tommy.”