“We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up.” That is what New York Giants co-owner John Mara had to say regarding quarterback Daniel Jones.
Jones has had a polarizing career with the Giants up to this point, recording 24 touchdowns during his rookie season back in 2019 and then ten touchdowns this past year under the guidance of Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator.
With Big Blue once again commencing another rebuild, Jones has found himself stuck in the middle fighting for an opportunity to prove his worth. It seems as if ownership and new management believe they can win with Jones, despite the decision of his fifth-year option coming up in just a few months. The Giants have to make a decision in May, but they could always turn down his fifth year and elect to extend him next off-season or hit him with the franchise tag.
Jones has experienced his fair share of ups and downs over the past three years, but there’s never been a question about his physical attributes. He is a capable runner and has a solid arm but has struggled with decision-making and progressing through his reads.
The former Duke quarterback takes full responsibility for his play, which is a respectful thing to do considering the awful coaching and schematics he worked with under Garrett’s control.
“I’m certainly the one responsible for how I play and I take that very seriously. I haven’t played well enough. We haven’t won enough games to this point,” Jones told Raanan on a recent podcast. “That’s what I am focused on. And making sure I’m improving as a player as we go through this offseason and into next season, so I am able to put this team in a position to win games.”
The Giants are far from being a competent team, especially when it comes to the offensive line and how poor they have performed since Jones took over after Eli Manning. With nine draft picks at their disposal, GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will have plenty of work to do turning this squad around.
“You never know with new coaches and new management coming in, but like I said, I’m focused on myself, improving me and improving the team,” Jones said. “Trying to help everyone move forward is my job as a quarterback. That’s where my focus is.”
Jones is focusing completely on himself, but Daboll has spoken with him on numerous different occasions, starting to get an idea of what the Giants’ new offense will look like moving forward. Daboll prioritizes player strengths, building a system around that factor, something the Giants strayed away from in recent years.
Hopefully, they can extrapolate Jones’s skills as a mobile quarterback that has a decent NFL arm. Given he has Daboll and Mike Kafka, two coaches who played instrumental roles in developing Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes at his disposal, he may not have a better team around him to fuel his development.
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