2019, Rd. 1-6 | |
Atlanta, GA | |
27 | |
05/27/1997 | |
6YR | |
Duke Blue Devils |
Jones didn't play any snaps in the Vikings' 27-9 loss to the Rams on Jan. 13 in the wild-card round Minnesota signed him off its practice squad.
Analysis
After completing 216 of 341 passes (63.3 percent) for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions through 10 games for the Giants, Jones was released by the team and subsequently signed with the Vikings' practice squad. Though he was added to the roster for the playoffs, he was inactive for the wild-card round as the team's emergency No. 3 quarterback behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens. Jones is set to become a free agent this offseason, and while a return to Minnesota may be unlikely, the Vikings could receive a compensatory draft pick if he ends up signing elsewhere.
Jones (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday's NFC wild-card game against the Rams but will serve as the Vikings' emergency third-string quarterback, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Analysis
Jones joined the Vikings' practice squad in late November after being released by the Giants. He wasn't elevated to Minnesota's active roster during the regular season, but he was signed to the active roster this past Tuesday. As the emergency quarterback, Jones will not be allowed to play Monday unless starter Sam Darnold and backup Nick Mullens were both to be taken out of the game due to injury, illness or ejection.
Injury Status
Status: INACTIVE
Type: Coach's Decision
The Vikings signed Jones off their practice squad Tuesday.
Analysis
The quarterback didn't see any time on the 53-man roster for the Vikings during the regular season after being signed to the practice squad in late November. Even so, his ample starting experience with the Giants could make him a candidate to leapfrog Nick Mullens if starter Sam Darnold were to get hurt during Minnesota's upcoming postseason run. Jones is still scheduled to hit free agency this offseason, though by adding him to their roster, the Vikings could net a compensatory draft pick if the signal-caller signs elsewhere.
Jones agreed Wednesday to sign with the Vikings' practice squad after clearing waivers Monday, Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network report.
Analysis
After drawing interest from plenty of suitors upon getting waived by the Giants last week, Jones was eager to join a playoff-contending club and appears to have found a good landing spot in Minnesota. Though Sam Darnold will remain the Vikings' starting quarterback, Jones is expected to be elevated from the practice squad and serve as Darnold's backup once he gets up to speed with head coach Kevin O'Connell's offensive system. By joining the practice squad rather than Minnesota's 53-man roster, Jones will have the option to sign with another organization if a better opportunity emerges elsewhere later in the season before re-entering free agency this spring. Jones had started in each of the Giants' first 10 games of the season and completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while carrying 67 times for 265 yards and two scores in that span.
Jones has eliminated the Raiders from consideration to be the next team he plays for, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
Analysis
Las Vegas seemed to present a logical landing spot for Jones, especially after Gardner Minshew suffered a season-ending broken collarbone Sunday against Denver. However, Jones reportedly is interested in linking up with a postseason contender, which the 2-9 Raiders certainly are not. Schultz reports that Jones has "substantial interest" from multiple playoff teams, but it's unclear if any of those would give the former Giant a chance to compete for a starting role.
Jones has been contacted by 10 teams, including one team with whom he could become a starting candidate in Week 13, Jay Glazer reported on "Fox NFL Sunday."
Analysis
Jones reportedly would prefer to sign with a playoff contender, but it's interesting that there's at least one landing spot where he could step in as a starter. The quarterback was waived Friday and is expected to formally clear waivers Monday, at which point he would be able to sign with a team.
The Giants announced Friday that they're waiving Jones.
Analysis
The team's statement says Jones asked to be released and was granted his request. He'll now be subject to waivers, although his large contract presumably ensures nobody will put in a claim, which means he'll soon be a free agent and able to sign with any team. Offset language in the contract means Jones has no immediate incentive to sign for more than the veteran's minimum, much like Steelers QB Russell Wilson this past offseason. As such, Jones should find work soon enough if he so desires, be it as a backup for a contender or a potential late-season starter for a non-contender with QB woes. The Giants, meanwhile, are moving forward with Tommy DeVito as their starting quarterback and Drew Lock in the backup role.
Head coach Brian Daboll confirmed Monday that Jones will serve as the Giants' No. 3 quarterback moving forward, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis
In his press conference, Daboll didn't go into specifics about why he elected to drop Jones from first to third on the depth chart, but the decision is almost certainly related to the quarterback's contract, which would guarantee him $23 million for 2025 if he were to suffer an injury at any point over the remainder of the season that would prevent him from passing a physical in the spring. Though New York plans to make Jones a healthy inactive as the emergency third quarterback for its final seven games, he'll remain with the team and could still trigger the injury guarantee if he gets hurt in a team activity, per Patricia Traina of SI.com. Tommy DeVito will take over as the Giants' starting quarterback beginning with Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, while Drew Lock will remain in the top backup role as New York plays out the string on a non-contending campaign before presumably cutting bait with Jones this offseason.
The Giants are in line to turn from Jones to Tommy DeVito as their starting quarterback Sunday against the Buccaneers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis
Following the team's bye week, the 2-8 Giants plan to turn the offense over to DeVito, rather than previous No. 2 QB Drew Lock. Aside from the team's record and the poor level of Jones' play this season, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes that the Giants also had to factor in that there is a $23 million injury guarantee in Jones' contract for 2025 that kicks in if the QB gets injured and is unable to pass a physical in the offseason.
Season | Team | Plays | Total EPA | EPA/Play | Pass EPA | Rush EPA | Scramble % | Sack % | Success % | ADoT | Comp % | Pass Yards | Time To Throw | Pass TD | INT | YPA | Rush Yards | Rush TD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | ![]() | 437 | -24.46 | -0.05 | -33.38 | 8.93 | 3.9% | 7.5% | 41.0% | 7.36 | 63.3% | 2070 | 2.54 | 8 | 7 | 6.07 | 265 | 2 |
2023 | ![]() | 230 | -59.08 | -0.24 | -64.91 | 5.83 | 9.5% | 14.3% | 33.3% | 6.85 | 67.5% | 909 | 2.47 | 2 | 6 | 5.68 | 206 | 1 |
2022 | ![]() | 636 | 42.73 | 0.06 | 3.45 | 39.28 | 9.5% | 7.7% | 41.6% | 6.42 | 67.2% | 3205 | 2.6 | 15 | 5 | 6.79 | 708 | 7 |
2021 | ![]() | 689 | -6.7 | -0.02 | -12.2 | 5.5 | 5.7% | 1.2% | -- | 7.3 | 64.3% | 2428 | -- | 9 | 7 | 6.4 | 298 | 2 |
2020 | ![]() | 892 | -24.1 | -0.04 | -23.3 | -0.8 | 4.3% | 2.5% | -- | 7.6 | 62.5% | 2943 | -- | 11 | 10 | 6 | 423 | 1 |