Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi had some strong opinions about the way the New York Giants have invested in quarterback Daniel Jones. As he said on “The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan,” Lombardi believes that the Giants are shooting themselves in the foot by sticking with Jones and it’s caused them to falter in the NFC East (h/t John Fennelly of USA Today’s Giants Wire):
“They’ve gone 10 years — they’re the only team in the NFC East that has not won the East in the last 10 years,” Lombardi said. “They have the worst record in the last 10 years in the NFC East. It’s a shame, because the Giants should be a stellar franchise in the league. But, because they fall in love with their players, they love their players, they make bad decisions.”
Ex-NFL exec: Giants have struggled to win games and compete in the NFC East in Daniel Jones’s tenure
Jones has only led the Giants to one playoff appearance in his five-year career with the team. Their nine wins in their 2022 playoff season were the most he’s led them to in that span.
The Giants had a second-place finish in the NFC East coming in Jones’s second year, but at 6-10 overall, that was more a testament to how poor the division was at the time.
Individually, Jones has had moments where he’s looked like their franchise quarterback of the future, but those have been neutralized by dry spells, shows of inconsistency and a lack of results in the win column.
Giants may have missed a big opportunity to take a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft
Lombardi cited the Giants’ love for UNC’s QB Drake Maye and lack thereof for Michigan’s QB J.J. McCarthy as being a major reason why the team went with LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft instead of taking McCarthy or another top QB that was still on the board.
The Giants may have missed a golden opportunity to capitalize off of one of the most talented QB classes in the first round, but they have hope that the Duke product will be able to bounce back from his torn ACL last season and perform better with the new offensive weapons they’ve surrounded him with this offseason.
The NFC East did get stronger this offseason, with the Philadelphia Eagles landing former Giants superstar running back Saquon Barkley, so Jones will be the biggest factor in whether or not they can compete in the division in 2024 and return to the playoffs.