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In an article on Sunday morning listing the possible landing spots for former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who was waived by the team, the Detroit Lions were suggested as one of them.
Jones was cut loose on Saturday and will now have to go through waivers, where he is expected to not be claimed because of his contract. At that point (Monday at 4:01 p.m. ET), Jones will be free to sign with any team he chooses.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jones will likely prefer to land with a contending team instead of going to a team that needs a quarterback but isn’t in playoff contention. He adds that teams in contention for a playoff spot are likely to inquire about Jones’ services.
“Jones, who was officially waived Saturday by the Giants, is expected to have multiple options but likely will prefer to finish this season on a playoff contending team, where he will be involved in big games, rather than going to a meandering quarterback-needy team not remotely in playoff contention, according to sources,” Schefter wrote.
“Multiple playoff contending teams are likely to inquire about Jones and his level of interest, but it will not be long before Jones is finishing the season somewhere other than New York.”
According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, a source floated the Lions as a possible landing spot for the Duke product, who was waived in the second year of his four-year, $160 million contract.
“One source wondered if Detroit would be Jones’s best stop for the remainder of the year,” Jones wrote. “He’d sit behind Jared Goff but offer a better backup option than Hendon Hooker. Jones could learn under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who’s considered one of the most creative play-callers in the league today.
“Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn could be head coaches in a matter of months, and it’s possible they could need Jones on their future team, he added. “So gaining that familiarity now could serve Jones well as he charts the course for his future.”
As Jones notes, the former Giants quarterback would come very cheap once he clears waivers, as the 2019 No. 6 overall pick would cost the prorated amount of the $1.1 million veteran minimum.
Another thing to factor in is that any team that signs Jones could pick up a compensatory pick in 2025, as Over the Cap’s Nick Korte pointed out.
“Just catching up to hearing that Daniel Jones was cut, so maybe this has been said already, but as the Comp Pick Guy I should note that if a team signs (Jones) this season, they can get compensatory pick credit for him next season — (and) even backup QBs usually get paid enough to qualify,” Korte wrote.
The idea that the Lions could sign Jones is logical. While second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker showed flashes during the preseason, he’s still very inexperienced and there’s no telling if he’d be able to weather the storm if quarterback Jared Goff got hurt, especially in a high-leverage situation.
Granted, Jones is no great shakes, but he does offer a more experienced option and would be stepping into a far better situation than he had in New York, which could lead to better play and him being a strong backup option if needed.
The only downside would be that the Lions have to use a roster spot on a third quarterback they may never use, but that’s a small price to pay for having extra insurance for Goff in the event he gets injured, something that could derail Detroit’s Super Bowl bid.
When you consider the position the Lions are in now, how cheap Jones would be, the comp pick situation, and Jones’ likely desire to join a contending team, it’s not outlandish to think Jones could end up in Detroit.
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