The New York Giants will have a decision to make with quarterback Daniel Jones should their current downward trajectory continue with the signal caller sidelined for the season due to a torn ACL.
New York finds itself at 2-8 on the campaign. If the season were to end today, the team would have the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. In theory, this would guarantee general manager Joe Schoen either USC’s Caleb Williams or Drake Maye from North Carolina. They are the consensus top-two quarterbacks in the annual event.
For many, it would seem to be a no-brainer to select one of the two young signal callers given their upside and the Giants’ likely heading into a long-term rebuild. However, that might not include key decision-makers within the Giants’ organization.
“According to multiple sources, including one inside the Giants, some key people in the organization still have faith in Jones and believe their 26-year-old franchise quarterback can still be their long-term answer,” report from Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports.
There is certainly a lot that goes into this decision-making process outside of Jones’ current injury and his struggles on the field. Primarily, New York’s brass is stuck between a rock and a hard place after handing him a four-year, $160 million contract extension during the offseason.
Per Over the Cap, New York would incur a $69.32 million dead cap hit by releasing Jones outright. If the team designated him a post-June 1 cut, that dead cap hit would come in at $47 million. These are not options.
If the Giants were to find a taker for Jones in a trade, things would be dramatically different from a financial perspective. That’s unlikely given his current injury and struggles prior to going down.
Even during a career-best performance in which he led New York to a playoff appearance last season, Jones still only accounted for 15 touchdown passes.
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It still looks like Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will be making the decision. Despite New York’s disastrous 2-8 record, they have a recent track record of success.
Even then, the two did not have a built in relationship with Jones when they came over from the Buffalo Bills ahead of the 2022 season. Despite signing him to a lucrative extension, this could play a role in the decision-making process.
Of course, it’s all dependent on how New York finishes the season and whether the team acquires one of the top-two picks in next spring’s NFL Draft.
The other part of this process is whether the Giants’ brass believes that this season was a mirage due to the multitude of injuries New York has suffered through. If not, the internal belief could be headed in the direction of a rebuild. In this case, finding a way to move off Jones while adding a young quarterback to the mix would be in the cards.