Giants release quarterback Daniel Jones just days after benching him

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Daniel Jones era in New York is over.

The Giants quarterback was granted his release on Friday by the team just days after the franchise said it was benching him in favor of third-stringer Tommy DeVito.

“Daniel came to see me this morning and asked if we would release him," Giants president John Mara said in a statement. “We mutually agreed that would be best for him and for the team. Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way.”

Mara added he was “disappointed” at the quick dissolution of the team’s relationship with Jones, who signed a four-year $160 million contract in March 2023 after leading the Giants to a playoff berth.

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

The 27-year-old Jones told reporters Thursday that he gave the team everything he had after being taken sixth overall in the 2019 draft and he believes he still has a future in the NFL. He held himself accountable for the Giants (2-8) making the postseason once in his tenure as the starter.

The Duke product took over early in his rookie season when then-coach Pat Shurmur benched two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, who was near the end of his career.

Coach Brian Daboll benched Jones on Monday after the Giants returned to practice following a bye week and a 20-17 overtime loss to Carolina in Germany.

Tommy DeVito will start Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Daboll hoping he can spark the team.

“Definitely not happy about it,” said Jones, who read a 90-second statement before taking questions from reporters. “Yeah, not what you want to hear. So, yeah, all those emotions you have. But at the end of the day, this is football. We’re in a business where you're expected to get results and we weren’t doing it.”

Jones, who is now free to sign with any team, went 24-44-1 as a starter in New York after being the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft. A significant portion of those victories came in 2022, when the Giants went 9-7-1 and beat Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.

Yet whatever forward momentum the club generated in 2022 quickly evaporated in 2023. New York was 1-5 in Jones' six starts during an injury-marred season and he further regressed this fall.

Jones completed just 63% of his passes with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions even with dynamic rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers at his disposal. The Giants are last in the NFL in scoring and with public sentiment all but gone for the player once known as “Danny Dimes,” Daboll opted to go in another direction while Jones can get a head start on trying to reboot his career elsewhere.

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FILE - New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) passes the ball against the Washington Commanders during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Munson, File)

New York Giants NFL football quarterback Daniel Jones speaks to the media Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Tom Canavan)

FILE - New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) walks off the field after the Giants lost to the Dallas Cowboys 23-16 in an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

LONDON (AP) — A security alert at London’s Gatwick Airport delayed dozens of flights and left arriving passengers scrambling for alternative ways to get home after authorities evacuated one terminal and shut the airport train station for more than four hours on Friday.

Authorities evacuated the airport’s south terminal after police were called to investigate a “suspected prohibited item” found in luggage at about 8:20 a.m. Sussex Police said a bomb disposal team made the package safe and two people detained during the investigation were allowed to continue their journeys.

The terminal reopened to passengers and staff at about 3 p.m. (1500 GMT), the airport said in a statement. The airport’s north terminal remained open throughout the day.

About 100,000 passengers were scheduled to fly into and out of Gatwick, Britain’s second-busiest airport, on Friday. But many faced long delays.

Nejadeen Braham, 35, was supposed to fly to Jamaica to pick up her children, but said she couldn’t get into the south terminal.

“I saw everybody coming (out) from one direction,” she said. “I was supposed to go inside, drop my bags and go through security. When I got here, I saw everybody coming down.’’

The security alert at Gatwick was one of two that rattled London on Friday.

A road near the U.S. Embassy was shut down Friday morning as police investigated a suspicious package found in the area. London’s Metropolitan Police Service said it carried out a controlled explosion of what was later determined to be a “hoax device.”

The embassy said it resumed “normal business operations” at about 1 pm. (1300 GMT), although all public appointments were canceled for the day.

At Gatwick, travelers faced long lists of delayed and canceled flights on airport information boards. Outside, long lines of arriving passengers waited for taxis, while others resorted to walking or hitchhiking when they discovered the heavily used airport train station was also closed by the security alert.

The airport advised passengers to contact their airline for update information.

Several carriers, including BA and Norwegian reported delays.

Spanish airline Vueling ordered inbound flights from Barcelona and Seville to turn around and return to their point of departure.

A passenger hitchhikes at Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, near Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

Passengers walk at Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, in Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/via AP)

FILE - Passengers head to departures, at the Gatwick Airport near Crawley, south of London, on July 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)