Giants Make Decisions Regarding Jones, Lawrence Fifth-Year Options

New York has decided to do what has been anticipated for months regarding exercising the option years of their two first-round draft picks from 2019.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Apr 28, 2022 1:08 PM EDT

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New York Giants

As expected, the New York Giants have decided to decline the fifth-year option on quarterback Daniel Jones's contract, according to the NFL Network.

However, the team will be exercising the option year on defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence's contract, the NFL Network also reported.

The decision to decline Jones's contract comes as no surprise. Although the team, including new general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, have publicly expressed confidence in Jones moving forward, they are in a wait-and-see mode for a quarterback that still has some rough spots to his game including staying healthy.

Jones would have been guaranteed $22.384 million next season had his option year been exercised. Even if he ended up fulfilling expectations, the Giants, in seeking to lower that number, would have been hamstrung because they would have had to ensure that Jones received that same guaranteed amount in the first year of a new contract.

Should the former Duke quarterback's performance exceed expectations, including making it through an entire season injury-free, the Giants could always place the franchise tag on the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft while negotiating a new long-term structured deal.

According to Over the Cap, the estimated franchise tag amount is $31.497 million for quarterbacks. Still, the use of the tag would be to ensure that no one else comes swooping in to take Jones while he and the Giants work toward a new long-term contract with a far lower first-year cap number yielding more financial flexibility.

The decision to pick up the option year on Lawrence's deal makes more financial sense. Lawrence, acquired with the 17th overall pick in 2019 (one of two draft picks the Giants received from the Cleveland Browns in return for receiver Odell Bekcham Jr), has not missed a game in his career.

While he hasn't quite developed into the pass rusher the Giants were hoping he'd become, Lawrence is still a solid run stuffer and reliable tackler. Last year, he recorded a career-high 54 tackles and 11 quarterback hits.

From a financial perspective, the guaranteed $10.753 million that he'll receive next year puts him right about where former Giants defensive lineman B.J. Hill ($10.833 million), who re-signed with the Bengals, and Bills defender Ed Oliver ($10.753 million) will fall on the 2023 cap scale for interior defensive linemen.