Daniel Jones already seems to be in the midst of change.
As he enters negotiations with the Giants for a long-term deal, the 25-year-old quarterback is changing agents, The Post confirmed. Represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) since he was drafted sixth overall in the 2019 draft, Jones is expected to now join Athletes First, according to ESPN.
Athletes First previously negotiated the largest deal in NFL history (at the time) five times, including for quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott.
ESPN was first to report Jones switching agents.
The Giants notably did not pick up Jones’ fifth-year option on his rookie contract last offseason, as Joe Schoen and the rest of the new Giants regime opted to use another season to evaluate the signal-caller. As a result, Jones will be an unrestricted free agent after completing his four-year rookie deal.
In turn, Jones produced the best season of his career, recording career highs in passing yards, passer rating, quarterback rating and completion percentage along with a career-low turnover mark. He led the team to a 9-6-1 regular-season record and its first playoff berth since 2016 before defeating the Vikings in the wild-card round, the first and only playoff win of his career. It was also the first season Jones did not miss any games due to injury.
Following the season, Giants brass has been vocal about its desire to bring Jones back. After the wild-card round win, co-owner John Mara said “It was a while ago I think” when asked by The Post’s Steve Serby when he knew Jones was his quarterback of the future. Mara’s brother Chris, who serves as the team’s senior player personnel executive, echoed that sentiment: “We got somebody going forward.”
“We want Daniel back,” Schoen told reporters at the Senior Bowl. “We haven’t started conversations with his people yet. Once we get into it in terms of years, contract structure, finances, I’m not really sure where they’re gonna be, what they’re asking for, we’re still working on where we’d want to start so until we get into the actual negotiations I really won’t have a good sense for years, money.”
Whether the sides can reach an agreement on a long-term deal is another story. Jones will likely seek top dollar in line with other starting quarterback contracts.
There is very little chance Jones is not with the Giants next year, however. Although both sides prefer to avoid it, the Giants can use the franchise tag, which would pay Jones $32.4 million next season, if they can’t reach a long-term deal. With $44.4 million in cap space, that would be a costly move for the Giants that would inhibit the team’s ability to spend in upcoming free agency. And for Jones, he would still be without the long-term financial security he desires.
The Giants can also use the tag as a placeholder to keep Jones off the open market while continuing to negotiate — if they use it, which they can do between Feb. 21 and March 7. They would have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. Otherwise, Jones would play on the $32.4 million, one-year deal.
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