Daniel Jones will be subject to the NFL’s waiver process today with him set to learn if a team has claimed him within the next few hours… but it’s incredibly unlikely that any franchise will do so.

The Giants made the shock decision to release Jones after reportedly asking him to take a pay-cut to remain with the team, with the front office seemingly making the eyebrow-raising decision that they’d planned to relegate him to to the fourth-choice, behind new starter Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock and even the recently signed Tim Boyle.

The organization had made it clear to Jones that they had been planning to move on from him, with the player asking to be released before it was granted – despite receiving a four-year, $160 million deal less than two years ago.

And with a significant chunk of that money left on his contract, a team making a waiver claim would mean that they would immediately inherit that deal – with Jones set to make as much as $40 million in 2025 on his deal. That means that he’s almost certain to go through waivers without being claimed, allowing him to negotiate with any team on his future from Monday onwards.

He’ll have an array of options open to him… potentially taking the route of a back-up on a Super Bowl contending teams before hoping to sign as a starter elsewhere in 2025, or even looking to start for another team this year. Below are five teams that are likely to be strongly considering making a move for the former first-round quarterback…

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders would give Daniel Jones an opportunity to start this season

The Raiders have rotated both Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew at quarterback this season with both struggling to nail down the starting spot, with Las Vegas in desperate need of an upgrade at the position.

Even if Jones is just a short-term answer to the end of the season, he could greatly boost the team’s chances of competing – improving the odds that head coach Antonio Pierce keeps his job. The Raiders might be the only place to guarantee Jones a starting spot, potentially putting himself in the shop window for 2025.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts benched Anthony Richardson for the rest of the season earlier this month… a decision that lasted just two weeks before Joe Flacco’s struggles meant they called upon him once again. Indianapolis clearly likes Richardson as their franchise quarterback moving forward, but they appear to want him to sit until next season while continuing to work on his game, with limited experience as a starter in both college and in the NFL.

With the Colts, Jones could join a playoff contending team in beat out Richardson for the starting job, while playing behind an impressive offensive line with strong skill players to target.

Anthony Richardson has been benched by the Indianapolis Colts

Anthony Richardson had been benched by the Indianapolis Colts before returning last week ( 

Image:

Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Carolina Panthers

Like Anthony Richardson, fellow former 2023 first-round pick Bryce Young has been benched and brought back into starting this season, with the franchise being unsure on whether they have their franchise man.

Bringing Jones in could be seen as a long-term move for the Panthers, potentially having the two compete for the starting spot while looking to trade away either man should they become the back-up.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams have a quarterback who is universally seen as one of the more underrated in the league in Matthew Stafford, but he’s clearly coming toward the end of his career with retirement rumors surrounding his name for the past three years.

Los Angeles has Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett on the roster, but neither will be seen as a long-term replacement option should Stafford walk away. Head coach Sean McVay has proven to rejuvenate quarterbacks’ careers in the past, doing so with Baker Mayfield in 2022 and he’d be able to put Jones in the best position possible to succeed.

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Dallas Cowboys

Jones could complete the ultimate heel-turn by joining the Giants’ biggest rivals this season, where he’d certainly be the best quarterback on the team with Dak Prescott out for the season.

A short-term option, Jones would be able to put himself in the shop window while being the Cowboys’ starting quarterback for the next seven games in the hopes of landing another big contract next offseason.

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