Giants GM Joe Schoen has repeatedly indicated Daniel Jones is on track to return by training camp and reprise his role as the team’s starting quarterback. The team also showed tremendous confidence in the rehabbing QB by using the No. 6 overall pick to draft Malik Nabers, doing so despite extensive work on this year’s passer class.
Jones’ resume doubles as an unusual one for a quarterback on track for a sixth year as a team’s starter, but the party line (and Jones’ contract) centers around that being the Giants’ path. However, more rumblings about a QB competition are coming out. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah said during his Move the Sticks podcast (h/t the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) Drew Lock holds a legitimate chance to win that starting job.
[RELATED: Giants Deny Daniel Jones Buyer’s Remorse]
The Giants thoroughly scouted this year’s QB class, being closely linked to both Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy and hosting the likes of Bo Nix and Spencer Rattler on “30” visits along with the recent North Carolina and Michigan starters. The value did not align for the Giants at No. 6, with a clear line of demarcation forming between Maye and the next tier at the position. That led to the team offering the Patriots Nos. 6 and 47, along with a 2025 first-rounder for No. 3 overall. As it stands, the Giants remain a Jones-centric operation.
“Yeah, for me, I said it in January after the season. Expectation was Daniel would be our starter and we brought Drew Lock in to be his backup and Tommy [DeVito] has been the backup,” Schoen said, via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. “So that’s where we are and that’s how we’ll move forward this season. Daniel is still under contract for three more years. As it sits today, that is where we are.”
Certainly not a ringing Jones endorsement, Schoen’s comments come after Seahawks GM John Schneider said the Giants dangled the carrot of giving Lock a chance to compete for the starting job. Lock could well vie for playing time when Jones is healthy, the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard adds.
Schoen’s assessment also points to a second “prove it” year for the 2019 No. 6 overall pick. Jones, 26, responded well to such a challenge in 2022, piloting a moderately talented Giants team to a surprising divisional-round run. But he fared poorly before going down last season, doing so after receiving $81MM guaranteed at signing. That deal guarantees Jones’ $35.5MM base salary this season. After this year, the Giants can move on without too much in the way of dead money.
The Giants’ QB research project pitted this year’s class against Jones and Lock, and Jeremiah adds Maye provided the cutoff point. The team used Lock as a central comparison tool while evaluating this year’s class, per Jeremiah, who said the former second-round pick has a “really good shot” of winning the Giants’ job. Given the team’s 2023 commitment to Jones, it would be borderline shocking if Lock — who signed a one-year, $5MM deal in March — beat him out. On the whole, however, Jones has not given the Giants what they hoped for in an Eli Manning successor. And just about everything went wrong for the five-year starter last season.
A March report indicated the Giants’ QB search largely hinged on a lack of confidence Jones could stay healthy. Jones’ health history also is believed to have partially influenced Lock’s decision to sign with the Giants. Two neck injuries — one of which requiring a 2022 surgery — have hindered the scrutinized starter, and he will not be full-go until at least training camp. That will open the door to Lock offseason starter reps. Those could be important, if this is to become a genuine competition.
Chosen 36 spots after Jones in 2019, Lock lost a competition with Geno Smith in 2022 and did not threaten the latter’s job security last year. The former Broncos draftee has proven erratic when given extended run as a starter. Lock led the NFL in INTs during his last full-season starter run (2020), doing so despite only finishing 12 games. He also played the lead role in sinking the Broncos in 2021, starting the team’s final three games (all losses) after entering a Week 15 contest with the team at 7-6. Lock, 27, did play well in a start against the Eagles last year, leading a game-winning drive. Of course, the Eagles’ defense was on the brink of a full-on collapse at that point.
It would be interesting to see the Giants bail on Jones as their starter just as they have given him a No. 1-caliber wide receiver prospect; the team’s previous hopes at doing so failed miserably. But Jones has just one top-half QBR finish (2022) and one season with more than 15 TD passes (2019). He should be considered on the hot seat. The Giants also would owe an additional $12MM in injury guarantees if Jones is unable to pass a physical by the start of the 2025 league year.
Moving parts exist here, and while it would surprise if Lock received the call based on his past and the Giants’ Jones investment, this could be a storyline to monitor soon.
With the 1st overall pick in the 2025 draft the New Giant Select
Insert Name
QB
University State
Except next year the QB class will be pretty weak….so good luck with that.
Every class is weak at QB, but they all get pumped up w/ ridiculous hype. It’ll happen again next year. Half this year’s class will be backups.
Exactly
We’ve been saying this for the lasy couple decades
Jayden Daniels was somewhere between 2nd round and 5th round is 2023. Came out, showed up, went 2nd overall in 2024
Bo Nix washed out of Auburn, was an undrafted free agent caliber prospect, went to Oregon, revitalized his career, was a mid round pick in 2023, came back improved his draft stock.
We havent even played the 2024-2025 college football season. So idk how people can be like “oh 2025 is a weak QB class” without even playing the season lmao.
How about we wait for the college football season to finish before we decide what kind of draft class itll be.
To your point (from google):
Heading into the 2019 season, Burrow was widely regarded as nothing more than a potential Day 3 prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft class. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. had a sixth-round grade on Burrow at the time.
I don’t know how Kiper is still employed. He must have the best knee pads ever made
I think Kiper is the worst. His picks are usually way off.
Disagree completely. Last year we have Williams and Maye who were seen as NFL top prospects as sophomores and would have been taken top 5 if not top 2 had they been able to come out earlier.
There is no QB like that this year. Sanders? Ewers? No one even close to that level. That’s what I meant by a weak class. Could that change, sure, but right now, it’s weak.
Ewers took Texas to the final 4 and Young Manning isn’t beating him out for the starting job either.
Williams will be a flop. If your male boss came to work with pink lipstick, and fingernails, as well as a purse; would you pay attention to him? I wouldn’t. He would be the butt of the office jokes hourly. NFL alpha males in the league certainly won’t as well.
2025 isn’t here yet but if a guy can walk in off the street and you give the job to him over your 40 million dollar extension QB somebodies head has got to roll right? If this article is to be believed that is the Giants are in trouble already.
Same with McCarthy. He might very well be good, but he entered the season as probably a mid-2nd rounder. What did he do that elevated him to early 1st round?
McCarthy is definitely overdrafted. He hasn’t had enough experience, hasn’t had to work hard enough. He’s not seasoned at all. Looks and plays like a sophomore college QB.
Alec- I agree completely. I really couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. He won the National championship. Okay. Did they win it because of him, Or in spite of him? At best you can call him a game manager IMO. Not saying you can’t win with a guy like that, But those guys aren’t usually high 1st round picks. I mean Spencer Rattler could be a guy like that and he went in the 6th round. High first round picks are supposed to play and soon. Of course it could be worse. The Falcons moron of a GM drafted a guy #8 to be a B/U for 4 years. At least McCarthy will play for at least 3 years I would think.
Shaduer Sanders in New York would be insane lmao
My thinking exactly.
God I hope it’s Shedeur Sanders. That would be such a beautiful sh** show to watch and couldn’t happen to a more deserving city.
I’m confused. I must have missed the announcement that Jones was medically cleared to play week one.
Still can’t believe the HC & GM talked themselves into signing Dan to a new mega deal contract. His ‘good season’ was average and most of their wins were one score games against sub .500 teams.
But we get the well worn-out excuse ‘We didn’t draft the player’. Well they resign him, that’s on them.
Agree. They could have paid far less for any of the free agent QBs last season and, if that didn’t work out, would have been in position to pick a top three in the draft.
Given that Jones only started and played in 6 games last year, you’re assuming that if he wasn’t on the team, that any free agent QB would have done much worse record wise to be in a position to draft in the top 3 in this years draft….how much more losing do you think they would have done without Jones in there to back up your comment……the rest of the team, wants to win and perform well….not tank from game 1 on….winning and playing well secures better contacts whether its with the G-Men or elsewhere….no team tanks intentionally or at least is supposed to….
First, it is Mara’s money….secondly, exactly who would you have brought in other than worn out has-beens that would have had fans and the press screaming for change……Jones was just in the right place at the right time as far as QB compensation and he offered the best possible option to management to win which the team is supposed to do…….do you think that Wilson was worth it to the Broncos, or how about Watson on Cleveland…..lots more examples…..
Might be Mara’s money, but they are in charge of the budget and that was & still is a bad deal. The whole league knew that then. I didn’t see 1 positive article about the signing. That signing will be on their resume forever. It’ll be discussed in other job interviews, you know that.
As for whom to get, draft a new prospect. I get what you’re saying about old vets and you’re right, but that doesn’t mean what the Giants did was a smart deal.
There wasn’t much for QB talent in 2022 via the draft, but they could have easily traded the 5th pick for a 2023 1st and change. Then draft the following year. And the E Neal pick at 8 is looking like another bust for the tandem as well.
How about Jacoby Brissett or Tyrod Taylor or Gardner Minshew? All of those guys are in Daniel Jones territory, at a tiny fraction of the cost of Jones.
I caught a lot of grief here for beating this point into the ground. There’s no reality in the multiverse where Daniel Jones is worth $40M
The Giants were fools to guarantee Jones $80 million. They should have let him explore free agency and then signed him for half that. No other team was going to pony up top dollar for that chump.
My hope is they just flat out deactivate him and ensure he can’t get injured next year. Similar to what raiders did with carr and broncos with Wilson. They knew they were moving on and didn’t want to risk injury. Just much earlier, as in the moment he’s cleared to play.
Tanking starts before the season for the giants.
We don’t have a QB. We have a scat back and a rookie running the ball. The O-line was awful. The WRs take heat but all of the above mentioned play into their production. I’d make a play for cousins, and I don’t think too highly of him. Otherwise they’re cleaning house, again. Alot can change between now and September but man this is a bad situation.
Daniel Jones is a cluts, has no confidence and thinks he’s the best. Not exactly the kind of leader you want on your squad. He doesn’t inspire any confidence whatsoever. Dabol is brash, makes poor decisions, even though a decision can be so obvious to everybody, he’ll go out of his way to make the wrong decision, go even further to try to prove that it’s the right one, then keep failing. Then when that doesn’t work, he’ll go with the obvious choice, what he should’ve done the first time. That will work out, then go back to what he was doing, act frustrated. Yell at his players, with his playmaking, then throw a fit at the refs. We see it every game. It’s pretty sad when the last two head coaches were so bad, that you’re basically stuck. Schoen doesn’t do much anyways.
Schoen and Daboll were a package deal from Buffalo and they’d rather fill the Giants’ roster with ex-Bills instead of scouring the bushes for talent. After all, the Giants act like they’re entitled cos they’re in the NFC East.
Klutz: I once saw Daniel Jones get a clear running lane with just the end zone in front of him and defenders four or five steps behind him. He stumbled over his own two feet at the twenty yard line. I can’t believe anyone wanted to pay him $45 million/season to disappoint.
Teams are still paying Kirk Cousins to apologise for not making the playoffs or losing in the first round. Basically these teams pay top dollar for garbage time stats.
Next time anyone screams “It’s All About The QB!” send him the video of Daniel Jones Falling Down.
Certain players for certain systems. You either adapt your system to the quarterback you draft or you hope the square peg fits in the round hole. Look at Bo Nix for example. Didn’t fit in Auburn but excelled at Oregon
That’s a mistake.
Shedeur Sanders 2025. Get ready for that drama lol.