NFL execs pinpoint offseason moment that impacted Daniel Jones

Back in August, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested that quarterback Daniel Jones lost at least some confidence after the "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" program made it known that Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll wanted to land Jones' eventual replacement during the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Following New York's benching and subsequent release of Jones, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated touched upon what went wrong for the 27-year-old during the ongoing campaign. 

"In discussing Jones' confidence issue last week with execs from rival teams, all of them, every single one, brought up the team’s critical look at its quarterback that aired for everyone to see in July," Breer said about Jones-related "Hard Knocks" segments. "I do have some sympathy for the Giants in that it sounds like they were told the show would be one thing and it became something else. But if you’re another team, hearing that from New York would only make you less likely to sign up to have your offseason on TV." 

It was reported that the Giants had some editorial control over what viewers saw via "Hard Knocks," which made it so odd that clips featuring Schoen and Daboll discussing possibly trading up in the draft order to take a quarterback were allowed to air. Of course, Jones' feelings about such conversations don't erase the fact that he posted a 3-13 record over his final 16 starts with New York, has a worrisome injury history and played poorly as the 2024 Giants fell to 2-8 before he and the club agreed to part ways last week. 

With all that said, one can't help but wonder if Giants players feel particularly upset about the Jones situation in part because of "Hard Knocks." Neither Schoen nor Daboll seem to be all that popular in the New York locker room these days, and numerous reporters have hinted that Giants co-owner John Mara could blow things up as soon as Friday if the team produces an embarrassing no-show performance in the Thanksgiving Day game at the rival Dallas Cowboys (4-7).