The New York Giants were in the market for a new quarterback this offseason. It was revealed on HBO’s Hard Knocks that they explored the possibility of trading up to select a top quarterback prospect in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Brian Daboll was enamored with Jayden Daniels in the pre-draft process
In an episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants, it was revealed that Giants head coach Brian Daboll was a big fan of LSU quarterback prospect Jayden Daniels. When general manager Joe Schoen asked Daboll if he would be comfortable trading up to draft Daniels, the Giants’ head coach confidently answered in the affirmative.
Daniels wound up going No. 2 overall to the Washington Commanders — a tough landing spot from the Giants’ perspective as the Commanders are one of their three NFC East rivals. So far, Daniels’ rookie season is off to a hot start. In Week 2, he earned a win over the G-Men, and in Week 3, he had his coming-out party.
Jayden Daniels had a breakout performance on Monday night
Daniels was spectacular in his Week 3 performance against the Cincinnati Bengals. He led the Washington Commanders to their second win of the season on a record-setting night.
Daniels completed 21 of his 23 passing attempts (91.3%, an NFL rookie single-game record) for 254 yards, two passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also added 39 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on 12 carries.
It was a dominant outing for Daniels on primetime. He has the Commanders looking like one of the NFL’s top up-and-coming teams this season. It was reported that Daboll was a big fan of Daniels, so his success within the division has to sting a little extra for Giants fans who wanted to see the LSU standout land with Big Blue.
- Giants’ GM seems ‘relatively safe’ from firing despite team’s losing
- Giants’ explosive rookie running back could play expanded role in Week 5
- Giants could be down 2 key offensive playmakers against Seattle
The Giants could be back in the quarterback market in 2025
While Daniel Jones has improved his play over the past two weeks, it is a long season, and two factors are working against him as the Giants’ long-term franchise quarterback. Jones has an extensive injury history, which was one of the main reasons why the G-Men were considering a change at the position this offseason. He also had a costly contract that features an out next offseason. The Giants could release Jones in 2025 to free up nearly $20 million in salary cap space.
If Jones leads New York to a winning season, he will likely earn another season as the team’s starter. However, now at 1-2, if the losing ways continue, the Giants could find themselves in the market for a new quarterback again in 2025.