INDIA – Daniel Jones will giant‘ starting at quarterback in 2023, one way or another, which is why GM Joe Schoen has been in “regular communication” with Jones’ agents about signing him to a long-term contract ta. If they can’t close a deal, the Giants tag him in the franchise.
That’s something Schoen really didn’t want to do.
“If you have to franchise Daniel, I don’t think that’s the best thing for the organization, and I don’t think it’s the best for Daniel,” Schoen said at the NFL’s scouting meeting Tuesday. “Especially as we try to build the team around him and (answer) questions about the receiver and other positions on the other side of the ball where we might need depth. That hurts you a little bit about the team building process.
“But we’re prepared if that’s the scenario we face. We have a Plan B.”
Plan B isn’t a particularly appealing one for Schoen, as it involves the Giants not being too aggressive in free agency and possibly even losing on a run back. Saquon Barkley. GM worked hard last season to pull the franchise away from its pay cap and, after they officially cut recipients Kenny Golladay — which one source said it plans to do before the new league year begins on March 15 — the Giants will have a roughly $53 million cap to spend in March.
But that would quickly disappear if Schoen had to tag Jones at a cost of $32.4 million. And though Schoen says that won’t stop the Giants from bringing Barkley back, it will remove the franchise card from the rerunner’s table. That’s a problem because the Giants and Barkley are yet to come close to their contract negotiations, according to an NFL source, and the $10.1 million franchise tag for him seems to be on the cards. as understandable.
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Schoen said the Giants were “a little closer” to Barkley, “but there is still a gap.” The gap appears to be even wider with Jones, who, according to an NFL source, is looking for a deal worth more than $40 million per season. The Giants, according to a group source, prefer to keep his contract at close to $35 million per year.
“If it’s out of control and out of our comfort zone, we’ll be fined,” Schoen said. “We can only tag one player. We’ll use that. If someone has to walk, that’s unfortunate but that’s part of the business.
“We’re still building a team. That’s important to keep in mind.”
That team building was always on Schoen’s mind as he entered his second season under the Giants’ leadership. Jones and Barkley may be the big-ticket items on his agenda, but he also has other free agents to deal with like the centerpiece. Jon Feliciano and safe Julian love. He also knows the Giants need help at the receiving end, full-back and full-back, and he describes the team’s defensive depth as “not good”.
That also appears to be part of his offering to Jones – urging the midfielder and his agents that, while the Giants want to pay him, it’s in his best interest. That’s to leave some room for them to build a team around him. He said that giving Jones a franchise card “will limit the resources that you can use from outside the building. If you have players you like, that will limit the price or level. player level that you will get.”
It’s too early to tell if the offer worked and whether Jones would cut the price to close the deal. Schoen said he met Jones’ new agents from Athletes First on Monday and expects to see them again on Tuesday. There’s still plenty of time before the March 7 deadline to make a decision on the franchise tag.
Until then, Schoen said he remains “cautiously optimistic” that he will find a way to get both Jones and Barkley back.
“You have to go through tough times before you get a better outcome with the negotiations,” he said. “We’re trying to get over it. Obviously we want them both back. They know how we feel about both. … Both are part of why we’ve been successful. last year. We wanted to have both back, but sometimes it just doesn’t work.”
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFC East correspondent for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. He had spent the previous six years covering the Giants and the Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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