After his benching on Monday and release on Friday, the Daniel Jones era is officially over in New York.
But, as it turns out, the beginning of the end may have arrived far sooner than Jones's benching. Multiple players told ESPN's Jordan Raanan that the quarterback's relationship with coach Brian Daboll "appeared different" during the 2024 season, with one player even calling the dynamic between the player and coach "weird."
Raanan, with sourcing from those close to Jones, explained that the Giants' courtship of the top quarterbacks this past offseason, which was well-documented on HBO's Hard Knocks: Offseason, placed "extra pressure" on the 27-year-old Jones.
In Daboll's first season as coach in '22, Jones enjoyed one of his best seasons as a pro while New York advanced to the playoffs and won a a postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL wild-card round in January of '23.
Daboll and Giants general manager Joe Schoen then rewarded Jones with a four-year, $160 million contract extension in March of '23.
But in the season after signing the lucrative contract, Jones suffered a season-ending torn ACL during a November '23 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the second significant injury of his career.
As such, New York, armed with the sixth pick in the '24 NFL draft, did their due diligence on the quarterbacks in the class, fully knowing that they were walking an emotional tightrope with Jones.
And, whether it was a lack of confidence in his body recovering from the serious knee injury, or the pressures of proving his worth to Daboll and Schoen, Jones did not seem to be the same quarterback in '24, posting the second-lowest quarterback rating and yards per attempt of his NFL career.
Jones had his moments in '24, but too often appeared to miss throws and open receivers downfield, none more notable than on a flea-flicker play during the Giants' Week 10 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
And despite things not turning out the way either had hoped, the Giants coach still had some kind words to say about his former QB on Friday.
"We had a really good talk, Daniel and I," Daboll said. "Got a lot of respect for him. Again, not the way we wanted it to turn out by any stretch, but he's been nothing but a pro since I've been here with him. He's a great young man."
More of the Latest Around the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giants Teammates Noticed Daniel Jones-Brian Daboll Relationship Was 'Different' in 2024.
