The timing of ESPN’s latest Daniel Jones report was conspicuous. Hours before the Giants’ 21-18 loss to the Commanders, ESPN insider Adam Schefter published a story pointing out that Jones’ contract includes a $23 million injury guarantee for the 2025 season. Jones is in the second season of a four-year, $160 million contract, but the Giants could move on from him with a palatable cap hit if they chose to this offseason. Jones’ $23 million injury guarantee for next year would kick in, however, if the quarterback became unable to pass a physical after this season. In his report, Schefter referenced recent instances of teams benching quarterbacks under similar circumstances, including the Saints with Derek Carr in 2022 and the Broncos with Russell Wilson last year. “The Giants are not yet at that point with Jones,” Schefter wrote. “But if Jones doesn’t play better … it’s expected that New York would have to consider a similar decision.” Jones, 27, completed 16-of-28 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns and added 32 rushing yards on five attempts in Sunday’s loss in Washington. It was a clean, if unspectacular, performance against a defense that’s expected to be among the NFL’s worst. Sunday’s outing marked an improvement from last week, when Jones threw two interceptions without a touchdown in a 28-6 loss at home to the Vikings. But Schefter’s national report served as a reminder that the possibility of a quarterback change hangs over Jones if the Giants continue to lose. “This is the first time I’m hearing of it,” Jones said of the ESPN report after Sunday’s loss. “I think my job is to play well and to put this team in position to win games. And how they handle that, and what comes out, where it comes from, I don’t know. That’s up to them on how that’s communicated. But my job is to play good football, put the team in position to win games and focus on my job. I’m not in control of any of that.” Jones appeared in only six games in 2023 as he dealt with a neck injury and a season-ending ACL tear. His backup, Drew Lock, signed a one-year, $5 million contract in the offseason and is 9-14 in his career as a starter. There were reasons for Sunday’s loss beyond Jones. Kicker Graham Gano suffered a hamstring injury on the opening kickoff, forcing punter Jamie Gillan into kicking duties. After Gillan missed an extra point following the Giants’ first touchdown, the team only attempted 2-point conversions from there and failed on both tries. And instead of attempting a 39-yard field goal with Gillan with the game tied, 18-18, on their final drive, the Giants went for it on 4th and 4, and standout rookie Malik Nabers dropped a pass with 2:04 to go. Jones targeted Nabers on 18 of his 28 pass attempts. Nabers finished with 10 receptions for 127 and his first touchdown. “Malik played really well,” Jones said of why he threw to Nabers so frequently. “He was a matchup issue for them. You understand how it plays out, in routes and singled up. I felt like we had an advantage when we were going to him, so we kept doing that, and we tried to play the game with that matchup in mind. And he did a good job for us.” It only gets tougher for Jones and the Giants. Next up are the Browns, who boast one of the NFL’s best defenses, and the Cowboys, against whom Jones is 1-6 as a starter.