The first year of Daniel Jones‘ four-year, $160 million contract didn’t provide a quality return on investment.
Jones managed to complete 108 out of 160 attempted passes, totaling 909 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions. He was sacked 30 times throughout six games, which averages to five sacks per game. Despite running 40 times for a total of 206 yards and scoring a touchdown, the relentless assault from opposing defenses made it difficult for him to find a comfortable rhythm for making plays. His struggles, highlighted by his career-low 70.5 passer rating, were not entirely his fault. However, he was unable to overcome the challenges he faced.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen hasn’t lost faith in Jones, even after Jones’ first campaign played under a lucrative contract was a flop, concluding with a season-ending ACL injury suffered in early November.
“Schoen informed reporters on Monday that Jones is set to aggressively tackle his path back to the field. He added that given Daniel’s known work ethic, they might have to restrain him,”
We expect Daniel to be our starting quarterback when he’s healthy. However, we can’t predict the progression of his rehabilitation as people respond differently to these surgeries. There may be swelling in the knee or other setbacks. Despite the uncertainty, our expectation remains that Daniel will be our starting quarterback moving forward.
There’s reason to question how the Giants might proceed at quarterback. New York took a significant step back after overachieving en route to the playoffs in 2022, and even after defeating New England on Sunday, the Giants remain in a tie for last place in the NFC East at 4-8. Rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito, an undrafted free agent who wasn’t expected to see the field at all in 2023, has led New York to two straight wins, a feat Jones could not complete before his season ended.
Before his departure, Jones found himself in a less-than-favorable position. New York’s inability to provide him with adequate protection demonstrated their inadequacy, especially during the brutally challenging first six weeks. During this period, the Giants suffered losses to the Cowboys (now 8-3), 49ers (8-3), Seahawks (6-5), Dolphins (8-3), and Bills (6-6). They only managed a single victory against the struggling Arizona Cardinals, which required a desperate rally in the second half to achieve.
A truthful person would concede that the victories with DeVito weren’t the most impressive. The issues with the Giants aren’t limited to the quarterback position, but due to its significance in the sport and the fact that Jones’s salary has increased significantly compared to last year, he will continue to face intense scrutiny.
He’s also being discussed due to the 2024 scenario for the Giants. Despite their 4-8 standing, they are still likely to secure a high pick in the 2024 draft.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Nov. 12 that Schoen has attended games featuring some of college football’s top passers this season.
There’s no certainty that Schoen will use New York’s prime pick on a quarterback. NFL GMs commonly plan weekend visits to spots near their team’s Sunday match venue. However, his choices have been intriguing, given the Giants’ position in the underwhelming 2023 season.
Schoen was given a chance to rationalize his belief that Jones is still the best quarterback for the Giants, and he provided a logical explanation.
“On Monday, Schoen said, “I’ve witnessed it. Everyone saw it last season when Daniel Jones led the Giants to 10 victories, including a road playoff game. The preseason also offered a glimpse of his capabilities. We had a rough start and found ourselves in a pit. Though we’ve struggled to climb out, we’re making efforts to do so. We still have faith in Daniel.”
Jones’ contract remains relatively recent, implying a substantial dead cap figure of $33.3 million (as per Over The Cap) if he is traded before June 1. Considering the challenging cap situation Schoen had to fix in New York, left by former GM Dave Gettleman, bearing such a large dead cap figure might hinder Schoen’s broader strategy. If they decide to part ways with Jones, this could be a significant obstacle to overcome.
The Giants have the option to retain Jones on their lineup as a well-compensated substitute, but this could limit Schoen’s efforts to enhance New York’s team. This extreme choice may appear shortsighted, given that Jones only participated in six matches in an injury-plagued 2023 before his season ended early.
Backup Tyrod Taylor did a solid job of keeping the Giants’ offense afloat in place of Jones earlier this season, underscoring the importance of having a veteran backup on the roster, before an injury forced the Giants to turn to DeVito. With this in mind, Schoen admitted New York will likely need to position itself for any scenario in 2024. The Giants don’t want to find themselves in the same place the Cardinals began 2023 while awaiting Kyler Murray‘s return from an ACL injury, either.
“We don’t have a crystal ball in terms of how the rehab is going to go (for Jones),” Schoen said, per NJ.com. “I think we’re going to have to do something in the quarterback [room], whether it’s free agency or the draft. We don’t know when [Jones] is going to be ready. We’ll have to address [quarterback] at some point.”
Just because the draft is being done doesn’t automatically imply that their top pick will be a quarterback. The Giants have the option to bolster Jones’ support by acquiring a high-value player from a different area. However, given that Schoen has personally watched several quality quarterbacks in action in 2023, he might be tempted to use the pick on a quarterback in April.
Schoen stated, “We’ll select the top player available. If the most suitable player for our team happens to be in a specific position, we won’t hesitate to choose him. We won’t avoid it.”
