After another season where he was plagued by injuries and turnovers, even the staunchest Daniel Jones supporter would have to agree that it’s time the New York Giants look for another quarterback.
The 26-year-old quarterback started in six games this season in which the team went 1-5 and threw two touchdowns to six interceptions before tearing his ACL in Week 9 against the Raiders. His 70.5 quarterback rating was the lowest on the team behind Tyrod Taylor and Danny DeVito.
Jones career win-loss record is now 22-36-1, and while he hasn’t been the only reason for the Giants woes, he hasn’t been able to elevate his game or teammates when it mattered most. Now he’s rehabbing from a torn ACL which might compromise his most effective attribute which is his ability to make plays with his legs.
With head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen possibly on the hot seat, they need to acquire a quarterback in next month’s NFL Draft, and here are three reasons why.
Related: 2024 NFL mock draft: Falcons find QB, Round 1 projections after NFL Combine
The 2024 Draft is a deep quarterback draft class
The 2024 NFL Draft is projected to be one of the best draft classes in recent history as several quarterbacks are projected to be taken in the first half of the first round. Those quarterbacks are 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and J.J McCarthy, who helped lead the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championship.
In addition, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr who was an AP Second Team All-American, and Oregon’s Bo Nix who has 61 collegiate starts, could still be on the board in the second round. Both have a ton of playing experience which traditionally is viewed as a plus in the Giants organization.
It’s unknown when we’ll see another quarterback class this deep or this promising. So it would behoove New York to grab their quarterback at this opportune moment.
Related: 2024 NFL Combine’s biggest losers, including Blake Corum
New York Giants have the draft capital to move up
In addition to having the sixth overall pick in the draft, the Giants also have the 39th overall pick, and the 47th overall pick which they acquired when they traded Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks. It’s rare for a team to have three picks in the top 50, and Joe Schoen needs to capitalize on this opportunity.
With these three picks and next year’s first-round pick, the Giants have the draft capital to move up and take one of the top quarterbacks in this class. Or they can address another position with the sixth overall pick and then trade back into the first round to take a quarterback.
There’s never a price too steep to pay if you get the quarterback you want and they develop into a star.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Giants’ blockbuster trade with the Chargers, where they acquired Eli Manning in exchange for Phillip Rivers, a 2004 third-round pick, and a first and fifth-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. New York won that trade as Manning brought the franchise two Lombardi trophies. The Giants could be poised to make another blockbuster trade to get their franchise QB and hope it nets similar results.
If the Giants do not come away with a quarterback with the amount of draft capital they have, it will be a huge disappointment.
Give Daboll and Schoen a chance with their guy
Daboll and Schoen inherited Jones, as he was drafted three years before they arrived in 2022. Although Schoen gave him a four-year $160 million contract last offseason, much of that was due to the team making the playoffs for the first time in six years and because there were limited options available.
As we mentioned, Daboll and Schoen’s jobs could be in jeopardy if New York suffers through another double-digit loss season. If they’re going to sink or swim, they need to get their guy to be the team’s signal caller to determine their fate. Many feel Daboll is a quarterback guru based on how he helped groom Josh Allen in Buffalo. It’s time for him to find his quarterback for the Giants and bring out the best in him.
Due to his contract, Daniel Jones will be on the Giants roster in 2024, but that doesn’t mean he has to be the starter for the entirety of the season. It’s time for New York to turn to someone else and see if they can lead them into becoming an elite franchise again.
