But, as it turns out, the beginning of the end may have arrived far sooner than Jones's benching. Multiple players told ESPN's Jordan Raanan that the quarterback's relationship with coach Brian Daboll "appeared different" during the 2024 season, with one player even calling the dynamic between the player and coach "weird."

The easiest solution here was to follow the Derek Carr-Raiders benching model: Sit the player Monday, then agree to either shut him down completely for the rest of the season or a release the same afternoon. Doing this would have saved them the week-long distraction and, of course, the injury guarantee.

The Giants said that their decision to bench quarterback Daniel Jones this week was based on football considerations only, but the bigger picture continues to point to the role his contract played in the team's overall plan at the position.