The first day the Giants can use the tag is Tuesday and the last day is March 7. If necessary, the tag can be used on Jones as a placeholder to keep him off the market (teams can start negotiating with free agents March 13) while a longer deal is negotiated, but that tack would mean $32.4 million would be unavailable for the Giants to use in free agency. That would put a crimp in Schoen’s plans, as tagging Jones would temporarily eat up most of the Giants’ $44.4 million in cap space. The two sides would have until July 15 to work out a multi-year deal or Jones would have to play on a one-year deal.
Jones was not thrilled that the new regime came in and immediately declined to pick up his fifth-year option, which would have paid him $22.3 million for the 2023 season. That was Schoen’s way of saying, “Prove to us you deserve the money,’’ and Jones went out, stayed healthy, showed an affinity for Daboll’s offense and helped the Giants get into the playoffs for the first time since 2016. He proved it to Schoen and Daboll.