The New York Giants have hired a new regime to help them out of the wilderness they’ve been in since winning Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. They have just two winning seasons out of 10 since that game and have become a regular during the first few hours of the NFL Draft almost every year now.
Incoming general manager Joe Schoen and new head coach Brian Daboll have yet to decide which players they are going to build around and fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones is one of them.
In a recent interview with Jordan Raanan of ESPN, Jones made it clear he is under no illusions as he approaches the deadline for the team to exercise his fifth-year option even though CEO John Mara is in his corner.
Mara told the media earlier this year that the team “did everything to screw they kid up” and that they still had faith in Jones even though he’s shown little to no progress the past three years.
“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.
“I think that’s my focus — to improve every day. Right now, we’re in an offseason stage where you’re kind of on your own to do that and to go about that. So that’s what I am focused on.”
Mara’s assurance will only go so far if Jones cannot take advantage of this latest chance. One of the real reasons why the new regime is sticking with him is that there are few other options at quarterback this spring for them to explore. The national view is that Jones is a failure and the Giants should look to move on.
“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.”
As for the fifth-year option, the Giants could very well take a pass, which would make Jones an unrestricted free agent in 2023. He has no idea where he stands at the moment.
“We haven’t had that conversation yet,” Jones said. “Like I said, my focus right now is to improve every day and make sure I’m in a good spot coming into OTAs. That I’m improving as a player — that’s what I am focused on right now.”
To complicate matters, Jones has missed games in each of his first three seasons, including the final six games last year due to a neck injury. That is something the Giants did not have to consider during Eli Manning’s time here with Big Blue.
We will know soon exactly how much the Giants are willing to risk on Jones. Should they not pick up his option, will they use their valuable draft capital on a quarterback this April? Stay tuned.
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