It’s rumor, speculation, leak, and smoke screen season in the NFL. Intentional and unintentional information is making the rounds across the league and no one is immune from hearing little tidbits of information.
That was true for Rich Eisen at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he heard the juiciest rumor about the New York Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones.
“The Giants are absolutely done with Daniel Jones,” Eisen said on The Rich Eisen Show. “Done. Might have to play him this year but that ain’t it. . . The words I heard at the Combine multiple times were ‘buyer’s remorse.'”
Before sharing that gossip, Eisen prefaced by saying, “I don’t normally deal in rumor.” He made an exception this time and opted to share word from the Combine’s game of telephone.
Eisen also acknowledged that it could be completely untrue.
“I may be way off and this may be patently unfair,” he added.
Commentary based on speculation circulating as fact. That’s the nature of the NFL at this time of year, particularly when it comes to a lightning rod such as Jones.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen has been adamant that the team has faith in Jones, who he signed to a four-year, $160 million deal a season ago. When healthy, Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are firmly committed to DJ as their starting quarterback.
Could that be nothing more than a public relations stance? Most certainly. Jones has a lengthy injury history and regressed a season ago, but it would make little sense for the Giants and Schoen to allow Eisen’s rumor to leak if it were based in reality. It does nothing positive for the locker room or organization, and certainly wouldn’t make Schoen look good for giving DJ that contract in the first place.
Under Schoen and Daboll, the Giants have done an excellent job containing leaks (outside of the Wink Martindale snafu) and have improved their ability to control and contain the flow of information. This would be in stark contrast to that success.
Despite it all, the Giants are likely to add a young quarterback to their roster this offseason and do have an out in Jones’ contract next year. These rumors are likely based solely on that, making them an easy “high probability” bit of gossip to spread. If it’s proven incorrect a year from now everyone peddling it can just say, “Hey! It was only a rumor, not a report.”
