Dan Orlovsky summed up his feelings on Daniel Jones’ lofty contract demands in one phrase: “Mind-boggling.”
When speaking Monday on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Orlovsky addressed recent reports surrounding the Giants quarterback, who is seeking in the ballpark of around $40 million per year as the team looks to hammer out a multi-year deal ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline for the franchise tag.
“Daniel Jones is going to get $40-plus million? … Listen, I don’t want to kill Daniel Jones, he earned his money last year, he played better. Seven months ago, Daniel Jones went into this season with 50 touchdowns and 49 turnovers. And now we’re talking about paying him $300,000 a month less than Patrick Mahomes? That is mind-boggling to me,” Orlovsky said.
In his fourth season in New York, the 25-year-old Jones led the Giants to their first playoff appearance since 2016, which included a wild-card win over the Vikings.
Orlovsky added Monday that while he can understand the Giants offering Jones something in the $30- to $35 million-per-year range, having a career-low five interceptions does not constitute a paycheck of $40 million-plus per season.
“If you’re the Giants, who else is paying him this money? If you don’t give him this money, and he hits the market, who is paying him $40-plus million dollars?” Orlovsky said.
“$30-$35 million dollars I can understand. For a guy that, we’re going to sit here and say you didn’t turn the ball over last year, we’re paying you $42-plus million a year, I can’t wrap my brain around that. I can’t comprehend that.”
Read Related Also: New Emails Prove Hunter Biden Was Selling Access to His Father
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III also chided Jones’ asking price Monday as details trickled out about the new contracts for Derek Carr and Geno Smith, who signed with the Saints and Seahawks, respectively.
“Derek Carr got 37.5 million per year… Geno Smith got 35 million per year… AIN’T NO WAY DANIEL JONES SHOULD GET 40 MILLION OR MORE PER YEAR,” Griffin tweeted.
When Trey Wingo responded, “That’s not how any of this works,” Griffin replied, “The system is broken.”
Carr, who was released by the Raiders in February after nine seasons, agreed to a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints on Monday with $100 million guaranteed.
Smith, the reigning Comeback Player of the Year, netted a three-year extension with the Seahawks that could be worth up to $105 million, per NFL Network.
Should the Giants come to an impasse with Jones, the franchise tag will be used and the rate for quarterbacks this season is $32.4 million, according to Over the Cap.
The talks between Jones and the Giants are “going right down to the wire,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
