Joe Schoen, general manager of the New York Giants, has stated openly during his season-ending press conference that the team still has faith in struggling quarterback Daniel Jones.
If anyone was under the impression that Schoen was merely encouraging Jones—who is reportedly recovering quickly from an ACL tear—that seems to be the case, according to Bleacher Report insider Jordan Schultz.
The Giants aren’t prepared to let him go. The Daniel Jones-Giants scenario is still very much up in the air, according to Schultz. “I’ve been informed that (Mike) Kafka and the players also have faith in Daniel Jones, in addition to the staff and Brian Daboll.
“When you put those two things together, there’s a very good chance that Daniel Jones starts at quarterback the following season and achieves the kind of success he did in 2022.”
According to Schultz, the Giants think that a large portion of Jones’s issues from the previous season arose from the inconsistent play of the offensive line, as well as injuries sustained by tight end Darren Waller and running back Saquon Barkley. This viewpoint aligns with the remarks made by Schoen during his year-end press conference.
Here are some additional highlights from Schultz’s study, supplemented by some extra analysis from me.
JONES WON’T BE TRADED
According to Schultz, a trade of Jones is “ruled out.” This is evident for several reasons, not the least of which is that he won’t be able to pass a physical in the upcoming months since he is still recovering from the ruptured ACL.
More significant, though, is that you have the money. The Giants would save $13.79 million if Daniel Jones was traded before June 1st, but they would also have to pay $33.315 million in dead money.
That won’t happen, not for a team that needs to sign its draft class and add some depth in free agency and now has $21,847,691 in total space and $14,014,144 in ineffective cap space. (Yes, the Giants are able to restructure contracts if necessary, and they plan to do so; nevertheless, Schoen has stated that he does not wish to develop this habit.)
In the end, the financials mean that Jones will be on the roster this season.
THE GIANTS ARE GOING TO ADDRESS QB IN FREE AGENCY
In addition, Schoen has often stated that the quarterback situation needs to be addressed, if only because Tyrod Taylor is approaching free agency and the Giants may not want to re-sign him. In the spring, Tommy DeVito will be the only healthy quarterback on the team if they lose Taylor, who has also been prone to injuries while playing for the Giants.
According to Schoen, they would like to have a player who can win some games and, in the event that Jones isn’t ready, can go in and start the season. (Reading between the lines, it’s reasonable to assume that he believes that player to be DeVito, who did win three games as a rookie starter in 2017—among them a thrilling victory over the Green Bay Packers.)
In this instance, it’s important to observe why Schoen eventually signs a deal through free agency. In my opinion, the Giants will try to replicate what they did with Taylor a few years ago when there were still uncertainties regarding Jones’s long-term status as the team’s starting quarterback.
Recall that the Giants signed Taylor to a contract that included compensation adjustments in the event that he had to start; at the time of signing, Taylor was regarded as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. The Giants are likely to take a similar route this off-season as concerns about Jones’s future are raised once more, albeit for a different reason.
GIANTS COULD STILL DRAFT A QB IN THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS
There is a lot of talent in this year’s quarterback class. As of right now, the consensus is that the sixth-picking Giants won’t have a chance to select any of the top three quarterbacks (Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of UNC, and Jayden Daniels of LSU) unless they trade up, which is unlikely given the distance required to get past the Commanders and Patriots, who draft second and third in the order, and their need for quarterbacks.
The Giants would be better off selecting a top receiver (Malik Nabors of LSU or Rome Odunze of Washington, the top two picks in this class after Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison, Jr., who probably won’t be selected by the Giants at No. 6) than reaching for a quarterback in the sixth round. For whoever is behind center on game day, having a real No. 1 receiver—something the Giants haven’t had since Odell Beckham Jr.—will be extremely important.
The Giants, meantime, have two picks in the second round: No. 39 and No. 47. They traded for Leonard Williams to earn the latter pick. At this point, the Giants may choose to hold out or, if their quarterback needs to be acquired, they may consider trading back into the bottom of the first round.
Thus, it is possible that the Giants will select a quarterback during the first two days of the draft.
JONES’S FUTURE
There are two ways to look at it if the Giants choose to take a quarterback in the first two rounds (they have three picks).
The truth is that Jones’ career could be seriously jeopardized by just one more neck injury. With Jones’s history of injuries, Schoen himself stated that they cannot ignore the situation, which is why having a quarterback this off-season is so important.
The goal is probably to start Jones, if healthy, or the veteran backup if Jones isn’t, during the season while the rookie rests and receives some fine-tuning on his growth. This is assuming the Giants choose a quarterback with one of their first three picks. This would be similar to how the Green Bay Packers handled Jordan Love and the Kansas City Chiefs handled Patrick Mahomes.
In the same way that the Chiefs moved Alex Smith in 2018 for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a 2018 third-round pick, the Giants can see if they can find a trade partner for Jones after the season if he performs well upon his return.
Would Jones be traded to another team in exchange for at least a third-round pick? Recall that Smith was a three-time Pro Bowler at the age of thirty-four when he was moved. Jones would be 27 years old and lacks Smith’s Pro Bowl background. In the trade market, Jones’s attractiveness would probably depend on how strong the quarterback class of 2025 is and whether or not teams would rather have a veteran than a rookie.
THE BOTTOM LINE
After piecing the puzzle together, Schultz came to the following conclusion: “There’s a really good shot that Daniel Jones is the starting quarterback the following season and that he does return to the type of success he had in 2022 when you combine both of those things together.”
In a year-end news conference, Schoen reaffirmed this way of thinking, saying, “You do a deal with Daniel, and you see how it was structured, so you try to expedite the process and give him a chance to succeed.”
However, there is a tiny issue with this way of thinking. There is going to be injuries. Despite playing behind a poor offensive line, Taylor and DeVito were both able to advance the ball and score points. While Joe Schoen, general manager of the New York Giants, has stated openly during his season-ending press conference Barkley and Andrew Thomas were in the starting lineups for both, Darren Waller was occasionally absent.
The key query around Jones is this: when will they look in the mirror with a critical eye and decide that there are no more justifications for any difficulties Jones may face in the future?
