PHILADELPHIA — Daniel Jones just made himself a ton of money. How many times did you hear that over the past few weeks?

He had become a franchise quarterback out of nowhere, and after declining his fifth-year option last spring the Giants would have to spring for a nine-figure deal. As it played out, after Jones delivered a historic performance against the Vikings in his playoff debut, there was too much about his big, fat payday to come.

Would Jones get more than $30 million a pop? More than $35 million a pop? More than $40 million a pop?

But in leading the low-talent Giants to the second round of the Super Bowl tournament before Saturday night’s crash-landing at the Linc, Jones earned something far more important than guaranteed cash. He earned the unconditional respect of everyone around the NFL, including those who mocked him when he was drafted No. 6-overall in 2019, and those who wrote him off after three years as an injury-prone turnover machine.

It’s a damn shame that Jones’s fourth season had to end the way it did in Saturday’s 38-7 beatdown by the top-seeded Eagles, who play in an entirely different league. Philly isn’t Minnesota. Jalen Hurts and friends can win the whole thing.

Jones and the Giants? They found out the hard way that they have miles and miles to go to compete with the elite, and by the way Brian Daboll coached in the early going — trying and failing to get a first down on fourth-and-8 — it seemed they knew that getting off the bus.

Jones was beaten up, and sacked five times, and he looked shaken and pale afterward. He offered up one particularly dreadful throw, intercepted by former teammate James Bradberry, and was down 28-0 at the half. No. 8 was behind the eight-ball all night, though his final stat line would’ve looked better had Richie James not dropped what would’ve been a 77-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

It wouldn’t have mattered if Eli Manning were out there behind center, instead of sitting in a suite and getting booed by his favorite crowd when he was shown on the video board. Now the Giants have to shake off this humiliating experience, fill a bunch of roster holes and, of course, commit to a long-term relationship with Manning’s successor.

And frankly, this contract negotiation might not be the 2-foot putt most assumed it would be. Asked twice in his postgame presser if he wants to be the Giants quarterback next year, Jones said a bunch of things except the word “Yes.”

The first time around, he responded, “I think we’ll get into that down the road. … We’ll take some time to regroup and think through that going forward.”

The second time Jones was asked he responded, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I really enjoyed playing here. … So we’ll figure out where that goes. But nothing but love and respect for this organization and the group of guys in the locker room.”

Maybe the season’s brutal endgame made it too hard for Jones to process anything about his future. Or maybe, deep down, he was most unhappy about the Giants’ decision to pass on his option, and now wants to play some hardball himself.

Either way, safety Julian Love said that Jones “took a huge step this year,” that the fans should be proud of him, and that the front office should “just try to get more people around him, just help him succeed.”

On cue, Jones promised to look at this horror film of an Eagles tape and search for the opportunities that he missed. As far as what he thought he proved this year, Jones was a bit more willing than usual to do some positive self-reflecting for public consumption.

“I think I improved every week,” he said. “I thought I was consistent throughout the year. … There are some things I’ll go back and look to clean up and improve and grow as a player going forward, but I thought overall I did do that. I grew and improved throughout the year, and I’ll continue to try to do that.”

For a change this offseason, the ticket holders will be on his side. Though Jones’s journey from near-bust to fan favorite wasn’t as dramatic as Edwin Diaz’s at Citi Field, it was close enough. Diaz wasn’t chasing his nine-figure contract as much as he was chasing redemption and a shot at a ring, and the same goes for Jones. Nobody gave him anything. Jones just put in long hours and lived the old Ben Hogan line — the secret is in the dirt.

If the Giants carefully managed Jones earlier in the season as they leaned on Saquon Barkley, they’d asked him to shoulder a heavier burden of late. The quarterback responded by becoming something of a star.

And then reality hit the Giants hard from the blind side Saturday night, and they watched their dream season burst like that water pipe in their Philly hotel. The fact that the Eagles are a much better team didn’t change the season-long story about the visiting quarterback.

Daniel Jones won something more important than a contract. He won the respect of everyone who cares about Giants football, and no season-killing loss to a superior opponent could diminish that.