Many believe the New York Giants could be a legitimate quarterback away from NFC contention in 2021. In an offseason where Deshaun Watson could be traded, though, the Giants seem uninterested in upgrading at the quarterback position.
As teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and Washington Football team explore the trade market, the Giants rumors are silent. In a unique offseason with some franchise-changing talent available at the most important position in the NFL, New York is prepared to stand by Daniel Jones in 2021.
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New York Giants rumors: Team committed to Daniel Jones, won’t explore quarterback trade
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the Giants won’t be among the plethora of teams attempting to convince the Texans to trade Deshaun Watson. Instead, general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge are more committed than ever to Jones.
“This isn’t just my opinion anymore — this is confirmed,” Jordan Raanan said, via the Breaking Big Blue Podcast. “The Giants are not going to be in on Deshaun Watson or any other quarterback. Daniel Jones is their guy. Book that.”
On the one hand, there’s some understanding for New York’s perspective. Houston’s asking price even to consider a trade is through the roof and the organization still believes it can repair its relationship with Watson. Given the 25-year-old’s frustrations are tied to ownership and team executives, it seems unlikely the damage can be fixed. But, for now, the Texans are refusing trade discussions.
With that said, it’s difficult to justify New York’s confidence in Daniel Jones. Ever since the team reached for him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, he has let this franchise down.
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Jones threw 12 interceptions and lost 11 fumbles across 13 games in his rookie season. He vowed to correct the alarming issues, but things didn’t get much better last season. In 14 games, he threw 11 interceptions and lost six fumbles, which doesn’t include the fortunate times he coughed the ball up and got it back.
It’s not like he is doing incredible things when he protects the football. According to Pro Football Reference, Jones had a 17.6% bad-throw rate and ranked 27th in on-target throws (75.2%) this past season. Even when operating in a clean pocket, per Pro Football Focus, Jones ranked 26th in quarterback rating (92.8) and 21st in completion rate (69.9%).
The Giants have a great defense, and Saquon Barkley will be back next season, which should complement the offensive line’s improvements. But an 8-18 record at quarterback, along with his other stats, shows very little reason to believe Jones is the long-term solution for New York.
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Trading three consecutive years of first-round picks, plus more Day 2 picks, is a lot to give up for one player. But the difference between this team with Watson vs. Daniel Jones is staggering. Unfortunately for this fan base, it seems the Giants can’t quit their faith in Jones.