GM – Giants view Daniel Jones as 2024 starting QB when healthy

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The New York Giants came out during their bye week and said they still consider injured quarterback Daniel Jones as a starter, when healthy.

Jones, 26, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee earlier this month against the Las Vegas Raiders. He had surgery last week.

“It is expected that when Daniel [Jones] is healthy, he will be our starting quarterback,” general manager Joe Schoen said.

The Giants signed Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract this offseason. He’s guaranteed $35.5 million next year, but they could pretty reasonably walk away from the deal after the 2024 season.

New York will have to address the quarterback position in some capacity given the uncertainty surrounding Jones. His recovery from a torn knee ligament could take until the summer, or even beyond.

“We’ll still have to sort that out at some point because there’s no guarantee he’ll be back for the first week,” Schoen said.

Where that quarterback will come from (or if he’s already on the roster) remains an unknown.

“It’s going to be a position, there’s obviously different paths — free agency or the draft — but we’ll have to address that at some point,” Schoen said.

The Giants still have undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito under contract for next season. But veteran backup Tyrod Taylor will be a free agent.

There also remains a possibility that the Giants address this position in the draft. Declaring Jones a starter (when healthy) doesn’t stop them from going that route.

“No, it’s not,” Schoen said. “I think we’re going to have to do something with the quarterback, whether it’s free agency or the draft.”

The Giants (4-8) are currently projected to select fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to ESPN Analytics. But they only have a 0.6% chance of being selected first and a 97.8% chance of being in the Top 10.

Schoen wouldn’t rule out a quarterback in the first round. He even mentioned specifically studying the quarterbacks taken at the top of the 2018 draft, how many of them are still starters, on winning teams and out of the league.

This at least shows that Giants management is considering a QB in the first round.

“We will take the best player available,” Schoen said. “If the best player available to our team is in a certain position, we’ll take him. We won’t hesitate to do it. April’s draft is a long way away.”

Jones has struggled this season after a strong 2022 that saw him finish sixth in the NFL in QBR and win a playoff game. He has thrown two touchdown passes and six interceptions in his six starts this year.

But the Giants are still convinced that last season was no exception.

“I saw it. You all saw it last season. He won 10 games, he won a playoff game on the road for the Giants,” Schoen said. “You saw the pre-season. I just think we got punched in the nose early on and dug ourselves a hole and we couldn’t get out of it. We’re still trying to figure it out. do right now. Always believe in Daniel, the person.”

Jones is five days away from surgery. The Giants believe they will have a better idea of ​​the timeline of his recovery early in the offseason.

Regardless, Jones now has a long injury history that makes him more difficult to build around. He also missed three games this season with a neck injury. It was the second neck injury of his young career.

With Taylor also on injured reserve, that opened the door for DeVito, who has now won two of his three starts and shown steady improvement. Still, the Giants would not commit to DeVito being the starter when they return from their bye week for a Dec. 11 “Monday Night Football” game with the Green Bay Packers.

“Yes, that’s something we’ll talk about,” Daboll said. “We’ll talk about everything.” DeVito has impressed so far. He threw six touchdown passes and one interception in his three starts.

It opened his eyes and put him on the right path for the future.

“Tommy did a good job as an undrafted free agent,” Schoen said. “He’s come a long way since he came here in May as an undrafted guy. It’s a testament to his work ethic and his embrace of the process with what [quarterbacks coach] Shea [Tierney] And [offensive coordinator Mike] Kafka and what they taught him.

“He’s been taking care of the football in recent weeks and he’s done a good job. He has a certain confidence, a certain presence that the players like. They follow him.”