Daniel Jones's Contract Incentives Revealed; How Many Can He Hit?
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract before the start of free agency, can earn up to $35 million in incentives tied into individual and team performances, the max split between season incentives and playoff incentives ($17.5 million each) thanks to what appears to be a tiered structure.
What kind of incentives does Jones need to hit to sweeten his annual earnings? Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team managed to track down the specifics included in Jones contract, so let's look at what those are and how realistic they are in reach for the coming season.
Touchdown Passes
- 19+ touchdown passes OR finishing in Top 15 of league in TD passes .... $250,000
- 25+ touchdown passes OR finishing in Top 10 of league in TD passes .... $375,000
- 31+ touchdown passes OR finishing in Top 5 of league in TD passes .... $375,000
In this category, the first (19+ touchdowns) is highly achievable not just because Jones has done it before--he threw a career-high 24 touchdowns as a rookie--but because now he has a much better supporting cast around him.
As Jones looks to pick up where he left off in the new system implemented by head coach Brian Dabolla and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, getting off to a fast start will be paramount to Jones's and the team's success.
The end zone improvement started a little slow but then kicked into high gear come Week 6 last year. After posting just three passing touchdowns in the team’s first six contests, Jones punched at least one in during 9 of the last 11 regular season games, including two scores in three of those games. His longest streak with at least one touchdown also spanned five games between Weeks 10-14.
What helped Jones recover his red zone success was an improved group of receiving weapons, some of whom performed way above expectations. Through the core trio of Darius Slayton, Richie James, and Isaiah Hodgins (each of whom tallied at least 350 yards and two touchdowns), the Giants rallied over 3,400 receiving yards and 17 endzone visits to jump their ranking to 15th and 18th, respectively.
As noted, Jones returns with an even better arsenal of aerial threats, including newcomers receiver Parris Campbell, tight end Darren Waller, and rookie Jaylin Hyatt. The expectations for Jones in the Giants offense will heighten with this more proven group of teammates and a system that will get more creative to score in the coming season.
As long as Jones keeps his turnovers down and distributes the ball cleanly and effectively to his targets, the 19 or more passing touchdowns incentive should be fairly easy to secure.
Passing Yards
- 3,325 passing yards, OR ranks in the Top 15 of NFL in yards passing ...... $250,000
- 3,800 passing yards, OR ranks in the Top 10 of NFL in yards passing ...... $375,000
- 4,550 passing yards, OR ranks in the Top 5 of NFL in yards passing ...... $375,000
Last season Jones finished with 3,205 passing yards, his best total since turning pro. Again, with improved receiving targets, it's hard not to see him hitting the first incentive in this category.
Jones has come close twice in his career to achieving at least 3,325 passing yards, the most recent being last season when he finished with 3,205 yards in the regular season in a prove-it effort.
Aiding Jones's passing yardage increase was his career-high completion percentage of 67.2 and an average of 6.8 yards per play.
Not only did Jones jump back out the gate in the grand scheme of the 2022 season, but he had solid individual performances as well. He had 13 games with at least 60% of his throws completed and six contests with at least 200 yards via his arm.
The icing on the cake was three 300+ yard games he mustered along the way, including the 301-yard day he tallied in Minnesota during the NFC Wild Card round (which wouldn't count since the incentives only cover the regular season production).
We've spoken about the receivers, but one can’t discount the value of the offensive line in this equation, as only the best players combined with a great front line consistently battle for the top 15 spots in the league each year. Keep Jones upright and the operation clean and efficient. Jones should be easily able to build on those numbers, making achieving the first--and possibly even the second--incentive a breeze.
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Total Touchdowns (Passing, Rushing, Receiving)
- 24+ total TDs, OR ranks in the Top 15 of NFL in total TDs ...... $250,000
- 26+ total TDs, OR ranks in the Top 10 of NFL in total TDs ...... $375,000
- 34+ total TDs, OR ranks in the Top 5 of NFL in total TDs ...... $375,000
Regarding the total touchdowns incentive on Daniel Jones’ contract, the main concern will be how much the Giants elect to keep their gunslinger involved in the rushing attack.
There is a chance Jones could stamp this incentive with his passing touchdowns alone. However, it would take a feat he hasn’t sniffed since his rookie year, and that seems unlikely at this moment, given the Giants also have playmakers in the running backs room to share the football with.
The good news is Jones has developed into a dual-threat option for the Giants' offense, his rushing prowess taking the league by storm last season. After posting sub-300-yard rushing campaigns in two of his first three years, the coaches implemented more designed runs for Jones to execute, leading to a career-high 708 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Jones had four games with at least 70 yards rushing (one additional game in the postseason) and two games with two touchdowns on the ground. Opposing teams had to start adjusting their game plans to account for the quarterback's legs towards the end of the season, and that only made the team tougher while also taking some of the rushing responsibilities off of Saquon Barkley’s shoulders.
Entering next season, I suspect the Giants will want to continue attacking their opponents with a weekly dose of quarterback option plays to further boost Jones’ confidence and make the offense more two-dimensional.
For that reason, I don’t think he will cross 26 touchdowns by the air alone in 2023, but his legs will be the difference-maker for the opening year of his new contract, making the 26+ touchdown incentive well within reach.
Total Yards (Passing, Rushing, Receiving)
- 3,700 or more total yards, OR ranks in the Top 15 of NFL in total yards ...... $250,000
- 4,375 or more total yards, OR ranks in the Top 10 of NFL in total yards ...... $375,000
- 4,700 or more total yards, OR ranks in the Top 5 of NFL in total yards ...... $375,000
The feasibility of Jones meeting 3,700+ total yards will be because of his overall contributions to the running game.
As mentioned, the Giants are not afraid of throwing some designed runs into the offensive game plan. This has allowed them to open the offense to a more serious two-dimensional threat.
The first true test of Jones as a rushing weapon came during the 2020 season when he added 65 carries for 423 yards and a touchdown to his resume that eclipsed 3,300 total yards. However, he had ball security woes that held down the team’s willingness to let him take off down the middle on designed runs.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones executed 65 designed runs last season, logging just a career-low six fumbles. His 2022 rushing yard total (708) was among the top rushers in the NFL, and he pushed both an average of 5.9 yards per attempt and 4.7 yards before contact.
With that career-high rushing number added on, Jones managed a 3,913 total-yard outing that stands as his best in four seasons. Given his new and improved offensive arsenal and a (hopefully) improved offensive line, Jones should have no trouble hitting the first tier in this incentive.
Play Time and Playoffs
- 65% of offensive snaps + team makes playoffs .......$500,000
- 65% of offensive snaps + team wins Division .......$750,000
- 65% of offensive snaps in playoff game OR team has bye and player played 65% of snaps in regular season .......$1 million
- Teams wins 2 playoff games and player participates in 65% of snaps in each playoff game OR team has playoff bye and wins 1 playoff game and player played 65% of snaps in regular season and 65% of snaps in the playoff game .......$1.25 million
- Team wins Super Bowl and player plays 65% of snaps in Super Bowl .......$1.5 million
For all that’s been said about Jones since he stepped onto the scene in East Rutherford, one thing he can’t be shamed for is his presence on the field when healthy. In his first four seasons, he has missed 12 games (the most recent in Week 18 of 2022, though that was due to the coach's decision). Jones's inability to play a full season and avoid injury has drawn the ire of some critics, but they are hard-pressed to find offensive snaps that don’t feature him when he is dressed to play.
Per Pro Football Reference, Jones has been available for 3,397 total snaps for the Giants since being drafted No. 6 overall in 2019. In that span, he’s been active for over 700 snaps three times and has yet to record a season below 93% in terms of snaps taken within his offensive count. Last fall, he was active for a career-high 1,040 offensive snaps spanning 16 regular season games and played in 97% of those plays.
Having signed a massive deal worth $40 million annually, the Giants have made it known that they are locked into Jones being their quarterback for the immediate future. With that commitment comes the expectation that he will remain a fixture on the field for every offensive play, pending injuries take their unfortunate toll. The team could revert to some wildcat plays to stump defenses on the fly, but that shouldn’t impact Jones’ presence if he just lines up outside.
Expect Jones to play in at least 65 percent of the team's regular-season snaps. As for the postseason part, the Giants appear to have all the potential pieces to make another realistic push for at least a Wild Card berth. But that is all contingent on the team staying healthy and handling business on Sundays.
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