Giants Have Faith In Daniel Jones But Still Might Draft His Eventual Replacement At Quarterback

INDIANAPOLIS – New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen sounded as if he was delivering two distinctly different messages about the team's quarterback situation on Tuesday.

On the one hand, Schoen fully embraced incumbent Daniel Jones as the quarterback the team expects will be the starter in 2024.

"I have faith in Daniel as our starting quarterback," Schoen said.

And that's pretty definitive.

Daniel Jones of the New York Giants focused on not making mistakes. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Faith In Jones Goes Only So Far

Except the Giants' quarterback situation is not as definitive as that. It's, well, a bit more complex.

It includes Jones coming back from an ACL knee injury that forced him to miss the final eight games of the season. Jones only recently started throwing again but has not begun drop-back sessions because the knee isn't there yet.

There is a possibility Jones might join individual drills in the spring and, barring any setbacks, could be ready for the start of training camp. But no guarantees.

And this is where it gets complicated:

"We've had good conversations, and he understands where we are," Schoen said. " He understands that we're going to need to add a quarterback. He's coming off an injury. 

"Tommy DeVito is under contract and Daniel, so we'll bring in either a veteran quarterback through free agency — Tyrod (Taylor) is in the mix there, too. We're going to talk to Tyrod’s representatives this week, and Tyrod’s a true pro. He has been really good for not only Daniel but Tommy DeVito and his progress throughout the year. He's a true pro.

"So, we'll address the position. Again, it can be through free agency, and it doesn't preclude us from doing it in the draft as well."

What Brian Daboll got out of Daniel Jones and the New York Giants this season is nothing short of incredible. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Giants Free Agency Options Limited

The Giants aren't going to be chasing Kirk Cousins or someone of that ilk in free agency. The club simply isn't going to spend to those heights. Or any heights beyond a backup salary range.

But in the draft, the level of work they're going to do on the top quarterbacks suggests they could be looking at someone who might eventually be in position to replace Jones.

So Jones is safe as the starter through free agency. But then the April draft might present a curveball if the team's draft evaluations demand picking a quarterback in the first round.

And Schoen is not eliminating that as a possibility.

"Where we are at six, we're going to look at everything," Schoen said. " We're going to look at everything. We're going to look at all positions. 

"You hope you're not up there again; you don't want to be picking in the top 10, but it's a good draft. It’s a solid draft across the board, and we're going to have an opportunity to get a good player, and we're going to evaluate all the positions and take the best player we can."

Did you hear the part where he said the Giants would take the best player but not a quarterback, because they have one of those already? Neither did I.

It's obvious Jones will be on the roster in 2024. But the Giants could easily pick a quarterback in the first round – if they have conviction on someone – let the rookie sit, and come back in 2025 with a legitimate competition for the starting job.

And if Jones loses that competition, the Giants could actually get out of his contract and save $19.4 million in cap space.

That would require Schoen and his personnel department having supreme confidence in someone such as Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy or some other quarterback not likely selected in the first three picks of the draft.

Giants Could Pick Up First Round QB

And that is not impossible.

"It’s a good quarterback draft," Schoen said. "It’s not just at the top. There are some guys that are mid-levels that I think will be good number twos. There are some guys that can be number threes in the draft. So yeah, I mean, I think it's a solid draft all over."

And why is this even a question?

Because questions surround Jones. He was solid and perhaps even better than that in 2022 and that got him a $40 million per year contract extension through 2026. 

But the ACL and a neck injury that also cost him to miss time last year were eye-openers because they presented durability questions. And Jones wasn't very good before then when he was healthy. Jones finished the season with 2 TDs and 6 interceptions in six games.

That kind of season gets Jones a certain amount of faith from Schoen now. But it also causes the wise general manager to leave the door open for other possibilities.