The New York Giants will kick off training camp next week as they begin their summer preparations for the upcoming 2024 season. This season will be a crucial one for quarterback Daniel Jones as he attempts to bounce back from an ACL tear that ended his 2023 campaign prematurely.
Jones has been recovering diligently since tearing his ACL back in November. With training camp now just on the horizon, Jones gave a positive update regarding his injury recovery.
Giants: Daniel Jones says he is “doing pretty much everything” in his ACL rehab
During a recent appearance on “Simms Complete” on the Bleav Podcast Network, co-hosted by Phil Simms and Chris Simms, Jones gave an encouraging update on his ACL rehab as he prepares for training camp:
“At this point, I’m doing pretty much everything — running, cutting, everything I need to do,” Jones told the father-son duo on “Simms Complete” (h/t Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post).
Jones has made steady progress during his recovery from what was a devastating knee injury suffered in Week 9 of last season. He participated in limited fashion during the Giants’ OTAs and minicamp practices back in May and June. More recently, Jones was seen looking healthy while training with QB Country:
The Giants begin training camp on Wednesday, July 24th, with the players reporting to the team facilities the day prior. Jones is aiming to be medically cleared as soon as possible so he can become a full participant in practice.
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Jones will be playing for his job in 2024
The Giants signed Jones to a massive, four-year, $160 million contract just last offseason. Despite this, the team was reportedly interested in drafting a quarterback at the top of this year’s draft, seemingly ready to move on from Jones just one year after deeming him their franchise signal-caller.
But after a failed attempt to trade up for UNC QB prospect Drake Maye, the Giants are rolling into the 2024 season with Jones back under center. He will be the starting quarterback this season, but how much longer he will keep that title is the question.
Jones appeared in only six games last season. The Giants went 1-5 in those games as Jones threw for just 909 yards and two touchdown passes with six interceptions. This performance was a steep drop-off from the level of quality demonstrated during the 2022 campaign in which Jones led the team to a playoff berth and subsequently earned his mega-million extension. In 2022, Jones threw for a career-high 3,205 yards to go along with a 15-5 TD-INT ratio.
One of the aspects that made Jones’s 2022 campaign so special was his rushing production. He rushed for career-highs with 708 and seven touchdowns, establishing himself as a true dual threat. However, it remains to be seen how productive Jones will be as a rusher this season as he returns from a significant knee injury.
The Giants built an out into Jones’s contract that will be available to them next offseason. They can save upwards of $20 million in salary cap space in 2025 and $46 million in 2026 if they release Jones next offseason. He will need to stay healthy this season and play well enough to keep the Giants from making such a difficult decision in the offseason.
