FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — He has to say goodbye for a while. Daniel Jones is not going anywhere, but his time on the field playing quarterback for the Giants is now on hiatus.

In the preseason, he played in all four games. The preseason has come and gone, and now Jones assumes his role as the backup to the starter, Eli Manning. It is another adjustment for the precocious rookie.

“I mean you want to play,’’ Jones said Thursday night after playing the first series and then taking a seat to watch the Giants’ come from behind to beat the Patriots 31-29 at Gillette Stadium. “I think I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I don’t think I’ll miss it. I think there’s a lot to focus on, a lot to work on and improve, and I understand my role on this team and what I can do to help.’’

It is not a bad summer of work for a quarterback when you can pretty much recount every incomplete pass thrown in four games. Jones finished off his first NFL preseason the way he started, connecting on every throw he made. It was a brief cameo for Jones, the rookie who has enthralled what not long ago were skeptics wondering why the heck the Giants used the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft to take him.

Jones started, completed all four passes for 47 yards and then took a seat for the remainder of the evening as Kyle Lauletta, vying for a spot on the roster, led a comeback from a 29-10 halftime deficit and hit Alonzo Russell for a 15-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining for the winning points.

The best throw from Jones was one he made under pressure, as he hung in the pocket and found Golden Tate on the left sideline for 23 yards. Jones was facing the Patriots’ second-team defense and his series stalled when Paul Perkins was stopped for no gain on third and fourth down on the New England 13-yard line.

“He made some great decisions and you got to love that,’’ Tate said. “He’s a guy that shows up every day, doesn’t say much. He’s quietly becoming a leader, for sure.’’

Coach Pat Shurmur believed it was important for Jones to get a start in the preseason and this “checked off another box in his development.’’

Thus ends an impressive four-game run for Jones. He completed 85.3 percent of his passes (29-for-34) for 416 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. On Saturday, the Giants make their cuts to get down to the 53-player limit and next week, they begin their preparation in earnest for the Cowboys and the Sept. 8 regular season opener. This will signal a change for Jones, as he now assumes the traditional role of a backup quarterback, with Manning working exclusively with the starters and gearing up to play all four quarters.

Training camp is finished. How does Jones improve without getting many reps in practice?

“Making sure I’m taking as many mental reps as I can and being engaged in the reps I’m not in, in the meetings or on the field,’’ Jones said. “There a lot of ways to improve, even if I’m not getting many reps.’’

Moving Jones over to the side seems as if it will be difficult, considering his rapid progress, but Shurmur does not see it that way.

“No, because he’s going to continue to improve, and keep growing and keep preparing,’’ Shurmur said. “Once the season starts he’s going to prepare like he’s going to be the starter and be prepared to go in there when we need him. I don’t think of any of them on the side. If you’re on the 53 and certainly if you’re on the 46 you’re out there ready to roll.’’

Jones showed the Giants — and, no doubt, many of his doubters — something new and impressive in every summer game.

Against the Jets in the opener, Jones completed all five of his passes before a lightning and rain storm hit. Facing the Bears, Jones showed great resiliency, completing his final eight passes after losing two fumbles. Last week in Cincinnati, Jones fumbled for a third time in the preseason when he got leveled on a blind-side hit. He shook off that punishment delivered a strike to another rookie, Darius Slayton, for 27 yards to the Bengals 1-yard line.

“He’s getting there,’’ Shurmur said. “We’ve got another week until we play Dallas. He’s getting there, and I think he’s done everything we’ve asked to this point.’’