For QB bubble-wrap scenarios, Daniel Jones‘ now looks closer to where Washington once went with Robert Griffin III compared to the two Jarrett Stidham AFC West instances over the past two seasons. It is conceivable Jones does not dress again as a Giant.
Today, the Giants went through practice with the six-year starter as the No. 4 quarterback. Recent practice squad addition Tim Boyle worked ahead of Jones, and Brian Daboll said (via the33rdTeam.com’s Ari Meirov) he is not certain which of the two will be the emergency No. 3 option in Week 12.
[RELATED: Giants Starting Tommy DeVito In Week 12]
Drew Lock handled the Giants’ scout-team work Wednesday, the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy adds. No. 3 QBs often operate in that role during practices, but the Giants will not ask Jones to do so. This further points to the team doing as much as it can to ensure the veteran starter — who suffered an ACL tear in 2023 and missed two stretches due to neck issues during his career — stays healthy, as a $23MM injury guarantee would come into play if an injury prevented Jones from passing a physical by the start of the 2025 league year. Otherwise, the Giants can move on for minimal — all things considered — dead money.
Yes, Jones received a staggering six seasons — give or take some injury absences and Eli Manning starting the first two games of the 2019 season — of run as the Giants’ starter and is in Year 2 of a four-year, $160MM contract, but this demotion is not going over too well in the team’s locker room. Dexter Lawrence called Jones the best quarterback on the team, and Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz adds others are disappointed by the way the Giants have effectively moved the QB out of the picture by dropping him to the third (or fourth) string.
Last year, Boyle ended up going from Zach Wilson‘s replacement to the waiver wire within hours; this came after Robert Saleh had still called Wilson the Jets’ best quarterback. While Boyle has a chance to serve as the other Big Apple team’s emergency QB Sunday, Lock is obviously disappointed by the team’s decision to start Tommy DeVito over him. Lock said (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) both Daboll and GM Joe Schoen met with each QB on Monday to discuss the depth chart shuffle. Lock is tied to a one-year, $5MM deal and has 23 starts to DeVito’s six.
That said, the Giants viewing DeVito as a better runner and recalling the spark he provided last year’s team factored into the decision, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano adds. A 2023 UDFA, DeVito profiles as the best candidate among the current QBs to remain on the Giants’ roster beyond this season. Jones will be cut, likely via a post-June 1 designation, and Lock will presumably move on to another backup gig. Though, Lock’s stock has tumbled since the Broncos’ 2021 Teddy Bridgewater trade.
As for Jones, he remains with the Giants. Russell Wilson being demoted largely for contract reasons did not lead to him leaving the Broncos immediately, though Derek Carr did step away from the Raiders after Stidham replaced him in Week 17 of the 2022 season. Washington had picked up Griffin’s fifth-year option in 2014, but when those were guaranteed for injury only, teams could bail free of charge the following year as long as the player passed a physical. Washington indeed released RG3 after his bubble-wrap season, when Kirk Cousins started throughout.
While this latest contract-related QB move could be interpreted as a tanking decision, that would be quite odd given Daboll and Schoen’s tenuous statuses. John Mara‘s votes of confidence preceded nothing but losses, and some around the league remain skeptical. Both the coach and GM’s jobs are likely on the line, with others around the NFL viewing it as closer to a 50-50 proposition the duo is retained, per Graziano colleague Jeremy Fowler.
Both leaders took over a rebuild situation, and Mara has hoped to avoid another quick dismissal. The New York owner fired Ben McAdoo during his second season and then canned Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge following theirs. Daboll has gone 8-19 since his 2022 Coach of the Year season. Schoen admitted (via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz) the better-than-expected 2022 season prompted him to make moves that did not serve the organization’s long-term interest. Jones’ extension, after the Giants declined his fifth-year option in 2022, would certainly top that list.
Mara gave Dave Gettleman four full seasons as GM; with Schoen delivering a 2022 playoff berth, this would be a quick hook. Still, Schoen’s actions during Hard Knocks‘ first offseason project did not portray him well, as Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney are having All-Pro-caliber seasons. Whether Daboll and Schoen are brought back may now come down to DeVito, representing how far the regime has fallen.
“QB3 Status Uncertain”
what a headline
Sam had to try something different because “Latest on Giants trainwreck” has been used too many times in the past.
There’s a lot of dumping on Daniel Jones (much of it earned, play-wise), but calling DeVito the team’s best runner sort of shows how disingenuous this effort is. The team is obviously trying to avoid any vestment of the injury guarantee. While that’s smart football for the numbers, it definitely has an adverse effect on the attractiveness of signing long term deals for players with that management and definitely hurts the locker room. This is especially true with a long term player who has given a lot to the franchise-Jones may not have been effective, but no one doubts that he worked hard and went through a lot for the team.
Wilson and Carr were also only benched at the very end of the year, with a couple of games left. The Giants still have a significant portion of the season left, and burying their starter with a chunk of games still on the slate obviously won’t be popular with the veterans. The Giants can choose to be “smart”, but it’s decisions like this that other players remember at contract time themselves, and in a team that already lacks a winning environment, benching players for contract concerns doesn’t help. If New York had waited a few more games, they probably would have lessened that effect some, albeit at the risk of injury. But, hey, they gave the contract to begin with-they can’t completely undo it now.
Well it depends on the “veterans” contract status as far as them being concerned about their status going forward….they care about their own contracts first…..popularity with the veterans is only relevant when they get paid….Jones is a multi millionaire….baed on so-so performance at best….. Benching Jones for Tommy Cutlets is going to be a sign that the status quo isn’t acceptable for this team going forward…mediocrity isn’t acceptable for the Giants in years to come….
You might be right, but the alternative is that it’s a disingenuous strategy to save money. Players won’t respect that aspect of it. Those who do already consider this a business, and really don’t have much team loyalty anyway (which isn’t necessarily wrong, but it means that the team shouldn’t expect any concessions going forward for its own sake).
After seeing how they handled Barkley and Jones, what player would want to come to the Giants?
Forgetful of the fact the Giants let Barkley leave for Philadelphia after giving a big contract to Daniel Jones. Said big contract came after Daboll was anointed “Coach of the Year” for getting his ass kicked by Dallas and Philly.
That’s lacking a ton of context. New York tried to extend Barkley first. They only turned to Jones after Barkley rejected their efforts. Jones was not the original first choice.
The level of organizational curse this behavior is asking for is astronomical. Bobby Layne X 10
I think, by rule, Boyle cannot be the emergency QB following a practice squad elevation. He would have to be the backup and either Lock or Jones would have to be the emergency QB.