(Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media via AP)
Make no mistake about it. The New York Giants have a Daniel Jones problem.
Jones is about to enter his sixth year as the Giants starting quarterback and is coming off perhaps the most disappointing season in his NFL career.
On top of his mediocre arm talent, refusal to push the ball downfield, inability to throw in stride, silent leadership, rare pre-snap adjustments, slow processing post-snap and staring down his first read on most drop backs, Jones has been plagued with injuries during his five-year career.
He has missed time due to injury in four of his five seasons as the Giants starter and suffered his worst string of injuries this past season by reinjuring a disk in his neck and then tearing his ACL in his first game back from the neck injury.
About the neck injury, Jones’ former trainer, Mickey Brueckner, said to FOX Sports, "The
likelihood of reinjury, once it gets injured the first time, it's definitely more susceptible moving forward.”
Even if some Giants fans admire his physical tools and feel attached to him because he helped lead the Giants to a playoff win in the 2022-23 season, these fans must come to terms with the fact that his injuries are too significant to ignore and the Giants can no longer view him as their franchise quarterback. The Giants must begin the search for his replacement immediately.
However, finding his replacement is far easier said than done.
After helping the Giants reach the divisional round of the NFL playoffs in the 2022-23 season,
Jones was rewarded with a four-year $160 million contract extension.
Some fans are likely asking, "Why can’t the Giants just release him?” Releasing Jones this
offseason would come with a $69,315,000 dead cap charge according to Spotrac, meaning a
release is off the table.
Barring a team falling in ‘full-bloom love’ with him, a trade is unlikely as well due to his
contract, injuries and poor play.
The cost of Jones’ contract also prevents the Giants from signing a stopgap option like Baker Mayfield this offseason.
Drafting a top quarterback prospect is unlikely due to the Giants picking 6th overall and the top three teams likely keeping their picks and selecting quarterbacks. If the Giants are fixated on drafting a quarterback at six, they would likely have to settle for a second or third-tier prospect; which is exactly how they got in this mess in the first place.
If the Giants cannot release or trade Jones and drafting his immediate replacement is unlikely, how else could they address the position?
Next week I’ll discuss a potential option for the Giants as the offseason begins.
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