The New York Giants made a huge decision regarding sticking with quarterback Daniel Jones when they were in a prime position to draft one of the better quarterback prospects out of college. Instead of doing so, they went with former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Nabers has been fantastic in his rookie season, securing 607 yards and three touchdowns through the first half of the season. The opposite is true for Jones. Jones has had a rough season, throwing 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Jones’ poor play has now led to his being benched in favor of Tommy DeVito. Now, Jones has fallen even farther down the depth chart, meaning the Giants are more than likely going to trade him in the offseason.
Jones appeared as QB4 during practice, meaning he was demoted below Tim Boyle, who had just signed to the team’s practice squad. The Giants cannot legally stop Jones from appearing at practice, but they can prevent him from participating in team drills by making him the fourth-string quarterback.
The Giants certainly want to protect Jones from being hurt, otherwise, they would be on the hook for around $23 million as part of Jones’ contract guarantee money for an injury. Still, this is a terrible situation to be in.
To make matters worse, it appears that a of players in the Giants camp are upset with the decision to bench Jones. According to a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz, one player even laid into the organization.
“One offensive player told me over the phone: ‘We’re not idiots. They did it because of money. So be it. But Daniel has been all class, never complained, and is now being completely disregarded. The TEAM record is bad. You can point fingers everywhere. To try to blame him is trash, and making him third string is weak as f***.'”
The issue is now Jones has been placed even farther down the depth chart. A similar situation happened with Russell Wilson, who fell out of favor with Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Wilson was benched at the end of the 2023 season to preserve him from being hurt for a potential trade or compensatory pick if he signed elsewhere.
That is exactly what happened, and Wilson is now flourishing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. There is no guarantee that Jones will have similar success with another team, but he is likely to sign elsewhere in the 2025 offseason.
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Giants general manager Joe Schoen might also be on the hot seat after not only mismanaging the Jones contract, not getting a solid developmental quarterback in the draft, and allowing Saquon Barkley to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
For now, Jones has likely played his last snap with the Giants in 2024, and likely beyond that.
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