Insider addresses why Giants made controversial 'Hard Knocks,' Daniel Jones call

After the New York Giants released quarterback Daniel Jones in November, anonymous NFL executives noted that the "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" program impacted his play. The series showed that general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll wanted to land Jones' eventual replacement during the 2024 NFL Draft. 

For a piece published on Wednesday, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post mentioned that one thing "the Giants truly miscalculated was their disregard for how Daniel Jones would take seeing the front office and coaching staff blatantly looking for his replacement in the draft." 

Schwartz also discussed why the Giants aired that footage even though they had some editorial control over what viewers saw on the "Hard Knocks" episodes. 

"There is little doubt Jones, who knew he was on borrowed time as the starting quarterback, was negatively affected by the 'Hard Knocks' revelations," Schwartz explained. "There was a flip-side to this, however. There was an undercurrent in the building that if Jones could not handle this, perhaps he was not up to the challenge of starting and winning in the New York/New Jersey market. As it turned out, Jones looked shell-shocked to start the season, after 10 games was benched...and eventually released."

Jones spent last offseason recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in November 2023, and he admitted in July that he was "not excited about" seeing the "Hard Knocks" footage. He was then undeniably one of the league's worst starting quarterbacks of the season until he was benched after Week 10, so the injury guarantee attached to his contract wouldn't get triggered. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Jones ended the 2024 regular season ranked 32nd in the NFL among qualified players with a 47.8 adjusted QBR and 38th with a 79.4 passer rating. He tossed eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions over 10 games and accumulated 265 rushing yards with two scores on the ground. 

Perhaps Jones was always destined to flop after Schoen let star running back Saquon Barkley reach free agency last March and sign with the rival Philadelphia Eagles, where he became a franchise icon and Super Bowl champion. 

That said, the Giants' disservice to Jones via "Hard Knocks" is another example of the Schoen-Daboll regime failing the organization following the club's playoff win in January 2023, which featured a stellar performance from Jones.