Giants legend: Fans can now feel bad for Daniel Jones

New York Giants legend, retired running back and current CBS Sports NFL analyst Tiki Barber believes fans should feel bad for quarterback Daniel Jones after Jones suffered a season-ending torn ACL this past weekend that could ultimately cost him his starting job with the organization. 

"The Giants fan actually feels sympathy for Daniel Jones," Barber said during the WFAN "Evan and Tiki" program, per Lou DiPietro of Audacy. "Instead of having ire and disappointment and question marks around who he is and what he's going to be this year or in the future, there's actually like a sympathetic voice for Daniel Jones. We don’t, as Giants fans, now have to criticize him and speculate about what the future is for the New York Giants at quarterback. It’s not Daniel Jones. You’re not saying move off from him, not saying that, but he's not the future, and in some ways, that’s liberating for Daniel Jones." 

The Giants selected Jones with overall pick No. 6 of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he had the unenviable task of replacing two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Eli Manning. Jones routinely was betrayed by lackluster offensive lines and the lack of a true No. 1 wide receiver, missed the final six games of the 2021 season because of a neck issue and was sidelined this fall with a different type of neck problem before he went down with the knee injury that could result in general manager Joe Schoen using a top draft pick on a star signal-caller. 

It's widely believed the Giants can't escape the four-year contract reportedly worth up to $160M that Jones signed in March until after the 2024 season, and Walter Football currently predicts Big Blue will use the fourth pick in next year's draft to acquire a receiver. As for Jones, ESPN stats show he ended Week 9 ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 37.2 adjusted QBR. In fewer than six completed games, he tossed two touchdown passes and six interceptions. 

"It sucks for Daniel Jones and it sucks for this Giants team because the season is essentially over at this point," Barber added about his former club that fell to 2-7 via Sunday's 30-6 blowout loss at the Las Vegas Raiders. "You just don't have the talent now to win, so it kind of closes the door on any of the, 'well, they can figure this thing out' talk with the New York Giants." 

The Jones-less Giants next play at the 5-3 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, oddschecker listed New York as a 16-point underdog for that contest. 

Assuming the Giants stack losses through Week 18, it's difficult to imagine Schoen not drafting either USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams or Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2024.