Drew Lock

Drew Lock To Remain Giants’ Starting QB

December 4th, 2024 at 11:43am CST by Sam Robinson

Despite a rough Thanksgiving outing, Drew Lock is staying in place as the Giants’ starting quarterback. Brian Daboll announced Wednesday he is keeping the former second-round pick in place.

Lock initially lost out to Tommy DeVito, even as the more experienced player resided as Daniel Jones‘ top backup throughout the season, but a forearm injury sidelined DeVito after his first start. It is not yet clear if DeVito will be ready to play in Week 14, but Lock will keep the keys for at least another week — for a Saints matchup.

Signed to a one-year, $5MM deal, Lock expressed understandable disappointment when Daboll initially tabbed DeVito over him following the Jones benching. This decision came a year after Tyrod Taylor displayed more frustration after being informed DeVito, a UDFA who began the 2023 season on the Giants’ practice squad, would keep the starting job even as the veteran came off IR. Daboll eventually went back to Taylor, though, and he is now going with Lock for a second straight game. DeVito will be limited in practice Wednesday.

Lock went 21 of 32 for 178 yards during a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Cowboys, a game that featured the Giants’ offense in gridlock most of the way. This week will at least mark a preparation difference for Lock, who will practice as the starter for the first time this season. With Geno Smith‘s two absences last season not being known days in advance, Daboll’s early proclamation will make for Lock’s first run of extended starter prep since he closed the 2021 season — after Teddy Bridgewater sustained a second concussion that year — as the Broncos’ QB1.

Denver demoted Lock after trading for Bridgewater that year, and the Missouri alum has not come especially close — as Smith easily won a 2022 Seahawks competition — to a starting gig. This will represent a key opportunity for the sixth-year vet, who appears likely to depart New York in free agency come March. DeVito, who sustained the forearm injury late in Week 12 but was not ruled out until just before the Dallas matchup, can be kept as an exclusive rights free agent.

Additionally, Daboll said (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan) tight end Theo Johnson underwent foot surgery. The rookie fourth-rounder, who started 11 games this season, landed on IR recently. Not only is Johnson’s season over, but Daboll said the surgery rehab is expected to affect his offseason availability. With the Giants not making a substantial tight end move following Darren Waller‘s June retirement, it should be expected the team — especially now with this Johnson injury in the equation — addresses the position in 2025.

Giants To Start Drew Lock In Week 13

November 28th, 2024 at 11:38am CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 28: Raanan and colleague Adam Schefter report DeVito is expected to be out today, leaving Lock in position to start. Depending on how his pregame warm-up goes, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes DeVito could serve as New York’s backup or emergency third quarterback. With hours remaining until kickoff, though, today’s updates point further toward Lock getting the nod.

NOVEMBER 27: Although Brian Daboll declared Tommy DeVito would remain the Giants’ starter for their Week 13 Thanksgiving matchup in Dallas, the popular New York passer has run into injury trouble.

DeVito is not traveling with the Giants to Dallas today, the team announced. A forearm injury has required more testing, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo noting the team’s current QB1 is on track to depart for Dallas later today. But DeVito may ultimately end up taking a seat.

It looks like a long shot DeVito will be ready to play on a short week, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets. That will move Drew Lock into the lineup. Lock had been Daniel Jones‘ backup all season, only to see Daboll look past him for DeVito in Week 12. Lock, who is tied to a one-year contract, is now on track to make his first start with the Giants. Tim Boyle, signed shortly after the Giants benched Jones, would be Lock’s backup if DeVito is inactive.

DeVito did not appear on the Giants’ injury report going into Tuesday but has since been listed as questionable for the team’s Cowboys rematch. The injury is to DeVito’s right arm, Daboll said (via SNY’s Connor Hughes), raising the hurdle for the 2023 UDFA to clear in time for Thursday. Multiple Giants reporters, Hughes among them, have speculated DeVito sustained the injury on a play with 11 seconds remaining in the Giants’ 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers.

Lock signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Giants in March. While Seahawks GM John Schneider suggested the move was based largely on Lock receiving a chance to compete with Jones, that never ended up happening. The team did not hold a competition, and Lock settled into a backup role for the fourth straight season. A Broncos starter to close the 2019 season and throughout 2020, Lock ended up demoted — for Teddy Bridgewater — after an erratic 2020 slate in which he led the NFL in INTs. He did not beat out Geno Smith in 2022, upon being included in the Russell Wilson trade, through he did re-sign with the Seahawks last year.

DeVito leads Lock in starts over the past two seasons, making seven to Lock’s two, but the latter has 23 over the course of his career. The former second-round pick also led the Seahawks to a Monday-night win over the Eagles last season, with that victory coming as Philadelphia’s defense was mid-freefall. Lock can boost his 2025 free agency stock by playing well Thursday, in what is regularly the NFL’s most-watched regular-season game, and could certainly influence Daboll to give him more starts to close this season.

As Jones has since signed with the Vikings, DeVito and Lock may well need to offer competence in order for Daboll to keep his job. The Giants are rumored to be prepared to keep both GM Joe Schoen and Daboll, but an ugly Bucs loss coming out of a bye week did not present good optics. With the Jones re-signing backfiring, neither New York power broker should be too comfortable over this season’s homestretch.

Daniel Jones’ QB3 Status Uncertain; Latest On Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll

November 20th, 2024 at 10:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.

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.

Daniel Jones Fallout: Jones’ Reaction, DeVito, Lock Incentives

November 18th, 2024 at 6:09pm CST by Ben Levine

The Giants ripped off the band-aid today, benching Daniel Jones for Week 12 and likely beyond. The move didn’t come as a complete surprise considering Jones’ subpar play in 2024, especially during the Giants’ active five-game losing streak. While the pivot atop the depth chart seemed inevitable, the team’s trio of quarterbacks only found out this morning.

While speaking to reporters today, coach Brian Daboll revealed that he had a meeting with the Giants’ three QBs to discuss the team’s “direction” (per Connor Hughes SNYtv). Naturally, Jones didn’t take well to his demotion.

“Certainly you’re not going to be happy about that as a competitor, and I respect that,” Daboll said of his former starter (via Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports).

Daboll also admitted he talked with Jones about the player’s future with the organization, but the coach kept those conversations private (per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). While the QB is still attached to his four-year, $160MM extension, he doesn’t have any salary locked in beyond the 2024 campaign. Jones’ $23MM injury guarantee for 2025 likely played into the organization’s thinking, especially with the front office having an easy out ($30.5MM in cap savings, $11.11MM in dead cap) this offseason.

So, the team will now pivot to Tommy DeVito. The QB went 3-3 as a starter last season, and Daboll acknowledged that DeVito’s 2023 performance played a role in the team’s 2024 decision (via Hughes). The Giants’ decision to go with DeVito over Drew Lock could have also been financially motivated. Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac notes that Lock could have still achieved a handful of incentives, most notably $250K bonuses based on passer rating, completion rate, and touchdowns/receiving yards. With Daboll coaching for his job over the next month, the coach probably only gave minor consideration to this factor.

Of course, Lock could still see the field if DeVito gets injured or benched. The Giants will roll with Lock as their primary backup, meaning Jones won’t even dress as the team looks to avoid an injury to the highly paid QB.

Examining Giants’ Daniel Jones Situation

November 12th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

As you may have heard, the Giants pursued a quarterback upgrade this offseason. The team made Drake Maye its primary target, sending the Patriots a strong offer (Nos. 6 and 47, along with a 2025 first-round pick) for No. 3 overall. The Pats passed on Giants and Vikings offers for the pick and centered their rebuild around Maye. The Giants then passed on selecting J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix despite spending time with all three leading up to the draft.

This always left Daniel Jones in limbo, as he has underwhelmed — for the most part — since becoming Eli Manning‘s successor. Jones’ solid yet unspectacular 2022 notwithstanding, the Giants certainly have not seen him live up to the four-year, $160MM deal they authorized just before the March 2023 deadline to apply franchise tags — which led to Saquon Barkley‘s tag and eventual exit. The domino effect here both benefited the Eagles and likely has GM Joe Schoen on a hot seat — after the Jones-over-Barkley decision affected his 2024 plan as well — despite John Mara‘s reassurances.

Mara gave Schoen and HC Brian Daboll endorsements for both the end of this season and into 2025, but with the Giants at 2-8 and having lost to a struggling Panthers team in Germany, it is fairly safe to assume both power brokers are far from assured to be back next year. Mara had expected a “big step forward” this season.

Mara has been a bit more patient with GMs compared to HCs, giving two-time Super Bowl winner Jerry Reese the chance to hire the head coach post-Tom Coughlin (Ben McAdoo) and allowing Dave Gettleman to select two HCs (Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge). Schoen being given a quick hook would be out of character, but Daboll receiving the boot after three years would not. Daboll is the only Giants HC to see a third season since Coughlin’s exit.

As it stands, the Giants have a decision to make on Jones; a benching is already on the table. Although no more fully guaranteed money remains on Jones’ contract following this season, sixth-year quarterback has a $23MM injury guarantee for 2025. That would kick in if Jones cannot pass a physical by the start of the 2025 league year in March. This has loomed over the Giants since their Maye trade effort failed. Daboll did not open up a competition this offseason, despite some comments from Seahawks GM John Schneider indicating that was on tap, and the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy notes no known first-team reps have gone to Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito this season. Jones’ contract situation points to that changing soon.

Since the 2011 draft changed NFL roster-building, Jones is an outlier. He is the only quarterback who remained a starter with the same team in a sixth season despite not averaging more than seven yards per attempt in any of his first five. The Giants passing on long-rumored target McCarthy at No. 6 gave Jones security, as Lock has not proven a threat. New York passing on McCarthy and other QBs at 6 led Malik Nabers to the Big Apple in hopes the LSU product would ignite Jones. While Nabers has certainly flashed, Jones has continued to struggle upon returning from his ACL tear. He exited a two-INT Carolina game ranked 27th in QBR and averaging just 6.1 yards per attempt.

It appears a 2025 Jones release — long viewed as likely — is close to a near-certainty. With Jones seeing his 2021 season end early due to a neck injury that required surgery and then suffering the ACL tear two years later (after missing 2023 games with more neck trouble), the Giants run the risk of another injury triggering those guarantees and hurting their ability to build a 2025 roster. A 2015 Robert Griffin III-style bubble-wrap scenario may be imminent.

If Jones is cut after passing a physical, it would cost the Giants $22.21MM in dead money — a figure that could be spread over two years, in a post-June 1 release scenario — to move on in 2025. A $23MM sum added to that would create more challenges for the team, which would then be responsible for the second-highest dead money figure — well, depending on what the Browns do with Deshaun Watson — in NFL history.

Lock stands as the more likely player to be given the reins in a Jarrett Stidham scenario, and a benching before the Giants’ Week 12 game would give the former Broncos starter and Seahawks backup a longer runway than each of Stidham’s contract-driven outings. Stidham owns this corner right now, having been promoted by both the Raiders and Broncos to protect injury guarantees in 2022 and ’23. Both AFC West teams cut their starters — Derek Carr, Russell Wilson — weeks after elevating Stidham. A Lock promotion would undoubtedly lead to the Jones book closing in New York by March.

The Giants gave Jones a much longer runway than similar passers have received, as recent years have shown it is not uncommon for top-10 QB picks to be benched by Year 2. The team pulling the plug during Year 6 appears all but certain, and a 2025 effort to acquire a replacement brings the Daboll-Schoen regime into focus. With Jones’ fate all but sealed, the more interesting component here will be whether Schoen will be allowed to acquire the QB’s replacement.

GMs rarely receive second chances, which would create a seminal “what if?” for the veteran exec due to him doubling down on Jones — whom Mara has strongly supported in past offseasons — rather than going all out to land a potential upgrade. Schoen is running out of time to make a sales pitch, and this Jones decision will certainly play into Mara’s long-term thinking as he determines if another housecleaning is necessary.

Drew Lock To Miss Time; Giants Not Considering QB Addition

August 12th, 2024 at 10:27am CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 12: Daboll’s latest comments on the QB situation (via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News) indicate New York will not, in fact, be making a move at this time. Lock is likely to remain sidelined at practice this week, but Daboll said tight end Tyree Jackson is a candidate to dress as a third QB if needed for the Giants’ second preseason game.

AUGUST 9: Drew Lock joined the Giants in part because of the rehab odyssey Daniel Jones required following his ACL tear. Jones, however, is now back and reclaimed his starting post. And Lock is now the QB in need of a rehab timetable.

The veteran backup sustained a strained oblique and suffered a hip contusion during a sequence in the Giants’ preseason opener Thursday night, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The free agency pickup will not need surgery, but he will miss what sounds like a reasonable chunk of time — to the point the Giants may need another quarterback.

Brian Daboll said (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) the Giants will consider a QB addition. Jones and Tommy DeVito are now the only healthy QBs on New York’s roster. The team cut offseason addition Nathan Rourke upon Jones being fully cleared. Rourke is now with the Falcons.

Lock has a month to recovery in time for the season, but given Jones’ injury history, it is understandable the Giants are discussing an immediate move. DeVito stands to move into the backup role. While the team’s part-time 2023 starter is not a threat to Lock’s job security, his experience last season is suddenly relevant. Regardless of DeVito’s seasoning, the Giants will need another arm to get through preseason play.

Only a starter for one full season (2020), Lock began his career on the Broncos’ IR list a year earlier. The second-round pick did not debut until Week 13 of his rookie year. In 2020, Lock only finished 12 games; though, one absence came due to being a COVID-19 close contact. Lock has only worked as a Teddy Bridgewater or Geno Smith fill-in over the past three seasons, and he signed a one-year deal worth $5MM to back up Jones. Reports of Lock threatening Jones’ job security were quickly debunked, though it is worth wondering if the current Big Blue backup will make starts late in the season regardless of the starter’s health. A Jones $12MM injury guarantee enters the equation for the Giants in 2025, opening the door for Lock seeing time if Jones is parked to prevent guarantees vesting.

Ben DiNucci joins ex-Giants emergency backups Jacob Eason and Matt Barkley as available passers. Technically, Ryan Tannehill is also available, though it would be highly unlikely the ex-Dolphins and Titans starter was interested in a short-term gig. Now 38 and coming off a Raiders release, Brian Hoyer is also available. His Patriots tenure did not overlap with Daboll’s, however.

For now, the Giants have Jones ready to go once again and DeVito (six 2023 starts) a surprisingly experienced — for a second-year UDFA, at least — option behind him. Lock’s status, of course, will be worth revisiting as the season nears.

Giants’ Offseason QB Pitch Highlighted Previous Backup Success

July 17th, 2024 at 8:53pm CST by Ely Allen

HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason continues to deliver nuggets of information and context that otherwise would not have been made available to the public. In the series’ most recent episode, we became privy to some details on the development of the Giants’ backup quarterback situation this offseason.

One area that the series shed light on was the departure of backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The show displayed that both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll showed confidence that Taylor would re-sign with the team, while beat reporters like Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post and Dan Dugger of The Athletic were both under the impression that Taylor had no interest in staying with New York.

The team had turned to Taylor to start for an injured Daniel Jones in Week 6 of the 2023 season but saw Taylor exit with a rib injury three weeks later. Taylor would eventually return around Week 14, but the Giants made the decision to stick with undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito, who had gone 3-1 in four starts filling in for Jones and Taylor. Two weeks later, DeVito was benched in a second straight losing effort as Taylor retook the reins for the remainder of the season.

Dunleavy claimed that Taylor was “very disheartened by how last season played out after his injury,” leading to the assumption that the veteran was not interested in returning. Duggan echoed this sentiment, saying that he “got the sense that (Taylor) was ready to move on after how last season unfolded.” Taylor eventually signed with the Jets, opting to serve as the primary backup for another starter who spent most of last season on injured reserve.

Following the loss of Taylor, the team explored a number of options to replace him, clearly seeing a need for quality with Jones’ injury history. The series showed that veteran names like Sam Darnold and Joe Flacco were floated around the building before the team ultimately landed on Drew Lock as their target.

A couple of months ago, we touched on a rumor that Jones’ injury history was part of the pitch that lured Lock to New York, with the team pointing at the success that former backups like Taylor and Mitch Trubisky have had finding contracts following their time with the Giants. That was seemingly confirmed in this week’s episode, showing that, whereas other teams had tried to sell Lock a potentially unrealistic chance to start, New York touted their history of getting backup passers back on their feet.

Regardless of how they got there, both parties appear to be in a good place now. Lock stands a better chance at seeing the field in New York (based on Jones’ injury history), and the Giants now roster one of the league’s most promising young backups as their QB2.

Brian Daboll Addresses Giants’ QB Situation

June 12th, 2024 at 10:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Daniel Jones‘ progress on a return from a November ACL tear has not included 11-on-11 work at the team’s minicamp, but the sixth-year quarterback has long been expected to be back by training camp. When Jones returns, the starting job will be his once again.

Rumblings about Drew Lock potentially challenging Jones for the gig have come up at multiple points during the offseason. Seahawks GM John Schneider was responsible for once such instance, saying the Giants “basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter.” Brian Daboll became the latest to insist no QB competition will be on tap for training camp, indicating Jones — barring a setback on his nearly complete rehab journey — will be the Giants’ starter for a sixth season.

“We’ve talked about that. [Lock] understands his role,” Daboll said (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan) of the team’s Jones-Lock QB depth chart. “He has been a true pro. He has definitely improved since he has gotten here. Good to get two more workdays here with the guys that he might not necessarily get as many reps with once we get to training camp.”

The six-year mark provides an interesting line of demarcation for Giants starting quarterbacks. Kerry Collins and Fran Tarkenton‘s time as New York QB1s stopped after five seasons; Y.A. Tittle‘s tenure stopped at four. Over the past 75 years, Jones will join only Eli Manning, Phil Simms and Charlie Conerly as Big Blue passers to operate as primary starters for at least six seasons. The Giants have not seen a great return on their investment — from either the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 or 2023’s four-year, $160MM extension — but their decision-makers have continued to aim for another Jones opportunity.

A Jones-Lock depth chart appeared to be Plan B for the Giants, who submitted an offer to the Patriots that included Nos. 6 and 47 and the team’s 2025 first-round pick. The Pats cut off both the Giants and Vikings’ Drake Maye interest by drafting the North Carolina passer at No. 3. With next year’s QB class not generating the reviews this one did — albeit at this early juncture — the Giants reside in uncertain territory after passing on the likes of Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix. By default, the team’s game plan remains Jones-centric.

Chosen 36 picks after Jones in 2019, Lock signed a one-year deal worth $5MM ($4.95MM guaranteed). Jones’ injury history is believed to have played a role in Lock’s decision to join the Giants, but the ex-Broncos and Seahawks passer does not yet look to have a path to playing time. Jones has missed 21 starts due to injury as a pro. A late-season situation could also come up in which the Giants opt to sit their starter to ensure he can pass a 2025 physical; Jones being unable to do so would put the Giants on the hook for an additional $12MM in injury guarantees for 2025.

Lock has made 23 career starts. The Broncos had hoped he would become a reliable option, but the team demoted him after a 2020 season in which he led the NFL in interceptions. Lock could not beat out Geno Smith for Seattle’s starting gig in 2022. As of now, he is set as New York’s QB2.

Barring a major injury, the Giants can move on from Jones (via a post-June 1 cut) next year and incur only $11.1MM in 2025 dead money. The Maye pursuit certainly points to the team having doubts about Jones’ future, with his injury history playing the lead role on that front. After Jones’ 2022 showing convinced the current Giants regime to buy back in after the team had declined his fifth-year option, the oft-doubted starter is set for another “prove it” season.

Latest On Giants’ Quarterback Situation

May 15th, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Offerings from Seahawks GM John Schneider and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah this offseason have pointed to Drew Lock being part of an actual quarterback competition in New York. The organization’s stance has remained in the Daniel Jones camp, but the five-year starter submitted a poor showing in his abbreviated 2023 season.

Some pushback has emerged regarding the possibility Lock will be part of a true competition with Jones. Barring a spectacular development from Lock during the offseason program, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan views this as Jones’ job. The expectation remains that Jones will return to starter duties once he is cleared, The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll adds.

Lock, who has entered just one of his five NFL seasons as a starter (2020), said the Giants did convey to him upon signing he would be Jones’ backup. Viewed at one point as the Seahawks’ most likely post-Russell Wilson starter, Lock lost a summer competition to Geno Smith in 2022. With Smith re-signing on a three-year, $75MM deal and Lock returning to Seattle on a one-year, $4MM accord, no competition occurred in 2023. Jones has never exactly competed for the New York QB1 gig, as his draft status and Eli Manning‘s age led to a September 2019 change. Jones’ career has been rocky, though, and his contract points to pressure being justifiably applied — even after the Giants passed on drafting a QB at No. 6.

Big Blue, of course, went through an exhaustive research project on this draft’s QB crop. And the team did make an aggressive offer — Nos. 6 and 47 and a 2025 first-rounder — for the Patriots’ No. 3 pick, with Drake Maye as the target in that proposed swap. The Giants did not view the Michael Penix Jr.–J.J. McCarthy–Bo Nix contingent as a sufficient upgrade on Jones or Lock to pass on filling its wide receiver need in Round 1. Malik Nabers is now poised to help Jones (or Lock, potentially) this season.

Jones’ four-year, $160MM contract features language that could prompt the Giants to be careful with an injury-prone player, opening the door for Lock to see time down the stretch — certainly if the team is out of contention. A $12MM injury guarantee would kick in if Jones is unable to pass a physical by the start of the 2025 league year. Jones entered the 2022 and ’24 league years on the mend; his injury history affected the Giants’ pursuit of QBs in this draft class and influenced Lock to sign with the team. Even if Jones recovers from his ACL rehab in time for training camp — all parties’ long-held expectation — his 2025 guarantee offers a variable here. If Jones can pass a physical next March, the Giants can designate him a post-June 1 cut and incur less than $12MM in dead money.

The Giants and Jones engaged in a negotiation that went down to the wire in March 2023. The QB used the franchise tag deadline, which impacted Saquon Barkley‘s future with the team, as leverage en route to the $40MM-per-year deal that included $81MM guaranteed. During a process that featured Jones changing agents, his asking price was believed to have reached $47MM per year at one point. The Giants were not exactly thrilled their starter aimed to squeeze the team in negotiations, with SNY’s Connor Hughes noting the QB’s hardline stance rubbed some in the organization the wrong way.

It is obviously not uncommon for players to maximize leverage during talks; the most accomplished QB in the Giants’ division, Dak Prescott, did this three years ago to secure $40MM per year on a player-friendly structure. Prescott also used a franchise tag deadline as leverage, and while the Giants hoped Jones’ asking price would come in around $35MM per year, the QB knew the team prioritized him over Barkley. After a playoff win, Jones took full advantage.

A year later, Barkley — after turning down a Giants extension offer in July 2023 — is elsewhere and Jones faces another “prove it” year. Jones’ New York future certainly appears to hinge on how he performs this season — should he indeed be the starter and Lock the backup.

Drew Lock In Play To Win Giants’ Starting QB Job?

May 1st, 2024 at 10:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.

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.

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