The New York Giants have a big decision to make regarding quarterback Daniel Jones, who is headed into the fourth year of his rookie contract. New management has to make a decision on his 5th-year option, which comes due on May 2.
The Giants’ offense struggled considerably during the 2021 season under coordinator Jason Garrett’s leadership, as Jones posted only 10 touchdowns, down one from the 2020 season and down 14 from his rookie campaign back in 2019. Despite his lackluster numbers, Jones has shown solid, tangible traits, featuring great straight-line speed and decent arm talent with the ability to reach the sideline on the move and throw downfield accurately.
The New York Giants need more time to see what Daniel Jones can do:
Despite all of those attributes, Jones is still an unproven talent that hasn’t played his best football just yet. His turnover numbers decreased significantly last year, but he wasn’t able to match with positive production, which has put general manager Joe Schoen and new head coach Brian Daboll in a bind.
“I know he’s got all the physical tools and he’s a great kid,” Schoen said of the Giants’ fourth-year quarterback. “Whatever ceiling he has he’s going to reach it if he can stay healthy because he’s got the work ethic, he’s a smart kid and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
“We’re still trying to work through both options. We’ve just gotta get around him. That’s a $22 million dollar decision so we’re gonna take our time,” Schoen said.
Luckily, Big Blue has an extra minicamp at their disposal, with Daboll being a new head coach.
“We’re still working through all that. We’re fortunate with Dabs (Head Coach Brian Daboll) being a new head coach, we’re going to be able to have a mandatory minicamp before the draft. We’re going to get to be around the entire team, the guys that are under contract leading up to the draft. We have until May 2nd to make that decision, so we’re going to be patient and go through the process.”
If the Giants do elect to reject Jones’s fifth-year option, they can always slap him with the franchise tag, which will be more expensive, but give them leverage in the situation to wait patiently on his deliverance. If he stalls in progression, moving on will be an easy task, but if he ends up playing well, they could extend him at a fair price point given his lack of consistency.