“We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up since he’s been here. We keep changing coaches, keep changing offensive coordinators, keep changing offensive line coaches. I take a lot of responsibility for that.”
Those were the words of New York Giants co-owner John Mara in January of 2022. He was publicly acknowledging that the organization had failed quarterback Daniel Jones and not the other way around.
Mara had previously shared similar sentiments about two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, admitting that the franchise lost its way and essentially wasted the final years of his historic career.
Nearly three years removed from his comments on Manning and more than one year removed from his comments on Jones, nothing has changed for Mara’s Giants.
The franchise is still mired in staff turnover, injury, and inconsistency. They have one of the NFL’s worst win-loss records over the past decade and every issue that plagued them then continues to plague them now.
Entering the 2024 offseason, the Giants may or may not be ready to pull the plug on Jones just six games after signing him to a four-year, $160 million deal. Their general manager and head coach are firmly on the hot seat, and the past several months have been highlighted by circus-like dysfunction.
Louis Riddick, who once vied for the general manager job, has seen enough from these Giants. And although he is no fan of Jones, Riddick believes, as Mara once did, that the organization has failed their former first-round pick.
.@LRiddickESPN went OFF on the Giants' treatment of Daniel Jones 😳 pic.twitter.com/v8sCN0UnMC
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 6, 2024
“Isn’t that amazing, how stuff can turn on its head? And you wonder why the Giants haven’t been able to make some headway in the (NFC) East and be true contenders? Because when you have this kind of thing that is happening within one calendar year, there’s no way you can make headway. There’s just no way,” Riddick said on Get Up.
“I just think it’s unfortunate. Look, I’ve never been a big, big supporter of Daniel Jones. I’ve always had my issues. But when you have this kind of flip-flopping and (these) kind of 180 turns away from people and these kind of structural deficiencies, no wonder you can’t make up any ground. No wonder.”
The Giants’ issues go far deeper than the player under center. They have persisted through multiple GMs, multiple head coaches, multiple coordinators, and a revolving door of personnel. Until they can diagnose the core cause for these failures, they will continue to waste the careers of their players.
