Emergence of rookie WR could help Giants QB Daniel Jones keep his job

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen actively explored moving up from the sixth pick of the 2024 NFL Draft to acquire a rookie who would replace Daniel Jones as the team's starting quarterback either during or after the ongoing season.

Schoen ultimately selected wide receiver Malik Nabers as the sixth pick in the draft, and ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano explained that Nabers' quick emergence as a weapon means "there is absolutely a world in which Jones is still the Giants' quarterback in 2025" despite what fans think of the signal-caller this fall. 

"He is under contract for $30.5M next year," Graziano said about Jones, "which is a steal for a starting quarterback in the current NFL. That money isn't guaranteed, and the Giants could easily move on from him and onto another option next spring. And they still might. But what if the Jones-Nabers connection keeps flowering and helps them win a few games?" 

Jones suffered a torn ACL in November of last year and then produced a dud in New York's 28-6 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8. However, he likely would've guided the Giants to a victory over the Washington Commanders on Sept. 15 if New York had a healthy placekicker for the majority of that contest, and he overcame an early interception that was negated by a penalty to lead Big Blue to a 21-15 win at the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. 

Jones completed 24-of-34 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and no picks against Cleveland. 

As for Nabers, he is now the first player in NFL history with 20-plus receptions and three touchdown catches across the first three games of a pro career. According to ESPN stats, he began Monday ranked second in the league with 23 receptions, first with 37 targets, fifth with 271 receiving yards and tied for first with three touchdown catches. 

Logic suggests that Jones' chemistry with Nabers should only grow stronger as the season progresses and the quarterback shakes off any lingering rust related to his latest injury.

"Nobody saw the Giants' 2022 playoff appearance coming at this point two years ago," Graziano continued, "but Jones and (head coach) Brian Daboll are the same quarterback-coach combination that delivered them to the second round of the postseason during that campaign. It wasn't that long ago, and they didn't have anything in the passing game that looked like Nabers." 

Jones was in the middle of a contract year in September 2022 and realized he could be benched at any time so that the Giants could release him in March 2025. The last time he faced such a scenario, he piloted the club to a playoff berth and a road postseason win that helped him secure the deal Schoen seemingly wanted to escape this past spring. 

Jones will look to build upon his performance at Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field when the 1-2 Giants host the 1-2 Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Giants as 4.5-point home underdogs for that matchup.