One Giant Question

By Mike Rifkin

The New York Giants announced that they are shutting down quarterback Daniel Jones for the rest of the season due to a neck injury. Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Duke, had a 64.3 completion percentage  with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, he also ran for 298 yards and two touchdowns. In his career Jones has a 62.8 completion percentage with 45 touchdowns and 29 interceptions, while running for 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. Jones’s career record is 12-25 and the Giants as a team have not made the playoffs since 2016. The Giants have a lot of questions this offseason and one of the biggest ones is if they should exercise the fifth year option on Jones? Jones’s fifth year option would cost the giants 21.3 million dollars. 

Nobody can say the Giants never gave Jones talent around him including signing wide receiver Kenny Golladay to a massive contract this offseason. Jones’s offensive lines have always been a problem and for the Giants that’s been a problem for years. But Giants fans keep waiting for Jones to take that next step or giant leap as a lot of young quarterbacks have. They have seen glimpses of that if you watch the Saints game or the game at Washington earlier in the season, but Jones has not been consistent since coming into the league. Jones said today “ I have spoken to Joe (coach Joe Judge) and we’ve had conversations about being the starter next season. There are things he expects me to improve on and I understand that and take it very seriously. That is my kind of approach.” I thought coming into the season this was a make or break year for Jones but even though at times he showed glimpses there are other times where he still makes rookie mistakes. I like the fact that he understands he has to show improvement but I have a hard time just handing him the starting job once again. 

There are a lot of good quarterbacks who will be on the market this offseason with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson (legal situation pending), and maybe even Derek Carr. There could be other names like Jimmy Garopolo but I don’t know how much of an upgrade that really is. The Giants also have trade ammunition with two 1st round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft after they acquired the Bears first in this past draft. Right now those picks would be fifth and sixth overall. Now if the Giants are uncomfortable trading both those picks, trade one and their 2023 first round pick to get one of these guys if they want. Or the other route would be to sign Teddy Bridgewater or someone along those lines to at least compete with Jones.

If I was running the show with the Giants I would be more interested in Wilson or Watson (legal situation pending) than Rodgers. Watson is 25 years old and the thing that could entice Houston the most is it would mean trading him out of the conference. Now if Russell Wilson expresses interest in coming to New York that is something to definitely explore. The Giants have a lot of questions to ask themselves this offseason and one of the biggest ones is do they believe in Daniel Jones to give him 21.3 million dollars?