Daniel Jones Reportedly Changes Agents Ahead of Free Agency Negotiations

What does the report of Daniel Jones's changing agency representation mean for him and the Giants?

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Feb 19, 2023 8:12 PM EST

In this story:

Things might have become more interesting for the New York Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones as the two sides work toward a new long-term deal.

According to a report by ESPN, Jones is in the process of changing agents , going from CAA to reportedly Athletes First. It's unclear where Jones is in the process, but according to NFLPA rules, an athlete must wait five days before officially being represented by a new agent.

However, the New York Post reports that CAA has waived the five-day waiting period as part of its termination of the Jones representation agreement, a move that now allows for the quarterback's new agents to begin negotiating with the Giants immediately.

That doesn't appear to be a promising development for the Giants, as they may have to use the franchise tag, the window of which opens Tuesday and closes on March 7, to retain Jones at a one-year guaranteed rate of $32.417 million.

Earlier in the month, ESPN reported that the Giants and Jones's agents had commenced discussions on a new contract. However, those discussions most likely occurred with Jones's former representation, as according to the NFLPA database, the quarterback is currently listed without a new agent, meaning either the database isn't updated or the change was recently initiated to where he's in the midst of the five-day period before his new representation becomes official.

If the Giants have to franchise Jones, the full amount ($32.417 million) automatically comes out of their available $46,993,739 cap space, an amount projected to be available before any restructures (Leonard Williams) or potential contract terminations (Kenny Golladay) are made.

If Jones were to sign the franchise tag, the two sides would have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal. Still, since the franchise tag amount is fully guaranteed, the Giants would have to ensure that the first year's cash installment of Jones's new deal (not to be confused with the cap-related total) contained the equivalent of the franchise tag amount.

For example, if the Giants and Jones reached an agreement on a five-year deal after he signed the tag, his first year's cash payment might consist of a $30 million signing bonus and a $2.417 million base salary which equals the $32.417 million he'd was guaranteed don't he franchise tag.

However, for cap purposes, the signing bonus would be prorated over the five-year length of the contract at a rate of $6 million per year.