When Daniel Jones took the stage Thursday, he had options.

The New York Giants’ 2019 first-round pick was officially benched and demoted from No. 1 quarterback to No. 4 within a week. The injury guarantee of $23 million of his 2025 salary was hanging heavily in the air. So did the Giants’ 2-8 record.

“I wrote something down to make sure I said it the right way,” Jones began his opening statement for a press appearance he could have easily avoided.

But what would he say?

He had finally, after months (or years) of taking the high road, been able to question the Giants’ decision to publicly express their skepticism about him during an offseason edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” docuseries.

He could have blamed the Giants for sending him to work this season in an environment where everyone was well aware that management didn’t believe Jones was up for the job, and he could have blamed them of the role that dysfunction in the franchise contributed to his disappointing tenure.

Jones could have pointed to the Giants’ struggle to build an offensive line that would minimize the injuries he ultimately suffered. And he could have questioned the team ownership and front office decisions that paired him with three different head coaches in his first four seasons.

Instead, Jones publicly thanked the Giants — a day before they were set to announce his release.

“The opportunity to play for the New York Giants was truly a dream come true and I am extremely grateful to the Mara and Tisch families for the opportunity to play here,” he said. “The Giants are truly a first-class organization, and I have nothing but sincere respect and appreciation for the people who built it and helped continue that tradition.”

Jones continued his approximately 300-word statement by emphasizing the responsibility he takes for his role in a career record of 24-44-1, which includes just one postseason appearance in six years. He told reporters how he would support Tommy DeVito in his preparation for the start and how he would do what is best for the team, and then for himself.

The sentiment around the league was fairly unanimous: This move was classier than Jones needed to be, and more explicitly classy than most would expect a bench starter to respond.

All this leads to managers believing in what awaits Jones in 2025.

Jones’ skills and attitude position him well to be a bridge quarterback for a team looking to draft and develop a young quarterback this spring, executives from four teams told Yahoo Sports. Several franchises need a bridge quarterback – and Jones’ stylish final days with the Giants were the latest proof that he can handle that well.

“I love the game, I love being part of a team and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity,” Jones said. “I know there is a lot of good football ahead of me and I am excited about that.”

If Sam Darnold signs elsewhere, Vikings are among the most intriguing landing spots

None of the four executives who texted Yahoo Sports believed any team would want to rely on Jones as their guaranteed QB1.

In six seasons, Jones completed 64.1% of passes for 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns and 40 interceptions. His career passer rating of 84.3 ranks 38th among qualified passers in that stretch.

Returning from a torn ACL this year, Jones has completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while recording 29 sacks. He has rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.0 yards per carry in his career.

But that doesn’t mean there are 32 quarterbacks who will definitely trust more.

“No one will sign him to be the starter permanently,” one NFC executive texted. “He will sign as a backup or bridge player for a team with a young QB.”

The latter market has shown opportunities this year. Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings, Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks represent some of the best-case scenarios for Jones’ turnaround at his next stop.

Where could Jones land?

Multiple executives questioned whether the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns or Vikings would consider signing Jones before the 2025 season. The Vikings were especially interested in executives if Darnold signed a multi-year deal elsewhere and Minnesota wants a bridge quarterback as 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy returns from surgical repairs on a torn meniscus suffered in training camp.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has already shown he is capable of reviving a quarterback. Darnold is playing much more stable in Minnesota than he ever did in his starting roles with the Jets or Carolina Panthers. If the Vikings are interested in signing Jones after he clears waivers, the team should still be on the hook for his $23 million injury guarantee, as expected. Signing the quarterback who knocked them out of the playoffs two seasons ago would upgrade the Vikings’ backup option for a postseason campaign this year, as well as give them a head start in assessing his suitability for 2025.

At least one executive each pointed to the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts as teams that could be looking for a bridge quarterback, especially as Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson, respectively, struggle through the final two months of the NFL season.

Every executive expected Jones to do that An opportunity and wiggle room for real playing time, given that demand for NFL quarterbacks routinely exceeds supply.

And while franchises are increasingly rushing starting quarterbacks into starting roles, the class of 2025 is not expected to have talent that will be as ready as the current rookies in Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and Drake Maye.

“It’s not a great draft/free agent class at this position, and I think there will be some teams that need a bridge and/or league-to-start scenario,” one AFC texted manager. “He could fall into that category, along with guys like Justin Fields.”

What is the case for Jones’ optimism?

The basis for Jones’ remaining career is pretty simple: There’s always the possibility that he doesn’t play well, or at all, again.

The ceiling offers more intrigue and is therefore more worth exploring.

Jones’ best season came in 2022, the first year head coach Brian Daboll arrived. He posted a 92.5 passer rating thanks to his league-best 1.1% interception rate, and rushed for a career-best 708 yards and seven touchdowns. The Giants extended him the following offseason and placed a franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley, who signed with the Eagles a year later. Neither Jones nor the Giants offense were able to recapture the fluidity of 2022 over the past two seasons.

To imagine how the Giants’ talent upgrade can impact a player, look no further than Barkley’s stellar rebound season in Philadelphia this year.

Many in the league also believe that a player’s mobility does not fully return in the first year after ACL surgery. Would his second year be more appropriate?

If he is signed to a team drafting a starting quarterback, he would be temperamentally equipped to handle the uncertainty of when a starting quarterback could start, should he find himself in a role similar to what the New England Patriots are playing this year from Jacoby Brissett asked.

He helped DeVito on Thursday before his release on Friday. He helped with game preparation and scout team work, even overseeing scout team safety on Thursday. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence said Wednesday that Jones still walked around the building “with a smile on his face.”

And on Thursday, while Jones took no responsibility for anything that affected the Giants, he made sure he had his part in the matter.

“I didn’t play well enough, consistently enough to help the team get the results,” Jones said. “I am 100% responsible for my part.”

After a meeting on Friday morning, the Giants seemed to indicate their responsibility better than before. They released Jones with well wishes – a move that, it’s worth noting, neither the Las Vegas Raiders nor the Denver Broncos have done in recent years when they benched Derek Carr and Russell Wilson, respectively, due to similar structures for injury guarantees.

“Daniel has been a tremendous representative of our organization, first-class in every respect,” Giants President John Mara said in a statement Friday. “His handling of this situation yesterday is an example of that. We are all disappointed with the way things turned out.

“We hold Daniel in high regard and have great appreciation for him. We wish him nothing but the best for the future.”

What exactly that future will bring remains to be seen.