The Giants‘ brass has consistently indicated that Daniel Jones will remain the team’s starting quarterback in 2024, but comments from co-owner John Mara on Monday certainly suggest they will consider drafting a new passer in the first round next month.
Even if Jones returns to full health and starts this upcoming season, he is one major injury away from his career potentially ending, or the Giants being on the hook for his entire 2025 salary, which would completely destroy any plans of building through free agency down the road.
The Giants have an opportunity to find a young quarterback, reset the rookie window, and have an astronomical amount of money to spend moving forward. After acquiring Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers, the Giants will certainly need more financial freedom in the future if they want to continue reinforcing the team via the draft and free agency.
The Giants Are Doing Their Due Diligence at QB
Mara stated that he would support the idea of the Giants drafting another quarterback, even going as far as to say the young player would compete for the starting job this upcoming season alongside.
“If they fall in love with the quarterback and believe it’s worth pick No. 6 or moving up, [I] certainly would support that.”
The Giants hold the 6th overall selection, so they may be just out of range of the top four quarterbacks, but they could elect to trade up and land whoever falls to the Arizona Cardinal spot at 4th overall.
Of course, that would mean sending future draft capital, if not the 47th overall pick, in exchange for the future face of the franchise, so the Giants have to get it right. Many analysts and executives have spoken highly of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but there are concerns about his experience running a passing offense, notably one that wants to be more downfield-oriented like the Giants are trying to install.
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That said, McCarthy has the tools to become a quality NFL player; he just needs a bit more development and time. So Jones starting the season at quarterback isn’t out of the question since they can utilize him as a de facto bridge, allowing them to take out his contract after the upcoming season, saving a maximum of 430 million next year.
At the very least, it doesn’t seem as if ownership is against the idea of adding another quarterback to the room, and the Giants will certainly be aggressive if the opportunity arises.