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New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones restructured his contract with the team ahead of the 2023 NFL regular season, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
The move opens $6.315 million in new salary cap space for the Giants.
Jones only just signed his four-year, $160 million deal with New York in the spring.
It’s unclear whether general manager Joe Schoen has an intended target in mind with his newfound flexibility.
Perhaps the front office prefers to have some wiggle room to make moves in the middle of the season to account for any injuries or glaring weaknesses in the roster.
But one obvious conclusion to draw is that Schoen is maneuvering for something bigger.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is one notable star who could find a new home before the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
Evans’ representatives have said he intends to leave Tampa Bay as a free agent next offseason in the absence of an extension before Week 1. The Bucs might decide trading him is better than losing him for nothing in 2024.
Evans has a $13 million base salary for 2023, while the Giants were just $2.7 million under the cap before Jones’ restructure. Although the math still doesn’t add up, acquiring the four-time Pro Bowler theoretically got a little easier.
Of course, Giants fans might be getting their hopes up for nothing because there’s little right now linking the two parties beyond pure conjecture.
Still, lowering Jones’ salary cap number for 2023—and increasing his cap figure for the future—already would be somewhat odd if the Giants don’t have a plan for actually utilizing it.