Although Daniel Jones maintains unwavering support from his head coach, his future as the New York Giants’ starting quarterback remains a hot topic of debate as the offseason nears.
The Giants enter Week 16 with a 4-10 record, and Jones won’t play again this season because of a sprained neck. He hasn’t played since Nov. 28, cutting his season to 11 games. The No. 6 overall draft pick in 2019 missed three games as a rookie and two last season.
Jones will be entering the final year of his rookie contract, but there has been plenty of speculation that the Giants might pursue a veteran during the offseason.
Oddsmakers at SportsBetting.ag have put +150 odds that the Giants’ Week 1 starting quarterback next season will be acquired via trade and +175 odds that it will be a player signed in free agency. That’s compared to +200 odds that Jones will be under center when the 2022 season begins.
Giants 2022 Week 1 QB Odds
–QB Acquired Via Trade: +150
–Free Agent Signing: +175
–Daniel Jones +200
–Jake Fromm +300
–Draft Pick +500
Giants coach Joe Judge has continued to support Jones publicly, including when asked about the quarterback’s future after Jones was placed on injured reserve Monday.
“I’ve seen enough growth from Daniel to tell us that he’s a guy we want to go ahead and play with,” Judge said. “I don’t think there’s much more Daniel could have done than what he was already doing.
“My expectation for him is to continue on the path he’s on of helping his teammates to stay mentally engaged and keep preparing. He’s done such a phenomenal job for us already. My expectation is just for him to continue doing what he’s been doing.”
Jones will finish this season with a career-best 64.3 completion percentage, throwing for 2,428 yards and 10 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He added 298 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
“There’s things (Judge) expects me to improve on going forward,” Jones said Wednesday. “I understand that and obviously take that very seriously. That’s kind of my approach.”
Jones has another strong supporter in running back Saquon Barkley, whose own future with the team is a topic of some debate as he’ll enter the fifth and final year of his rookie deal in 2022.
“That’s my dog, one of my best friends,” Barkley said Thursday. “I know how special he is, and I know how special he’s going to be.
“I just don’t know where the conversation comes up from whether he’s going to be this or that. We just got to focus on coming to work every single day, getting better every single day and that’s all you can ask from a player, that’s all you can ask from a teammate.
“And Daniel Jones is that every single day.”
–Field Level Media