The New York Giants have a big decision to make on quarterback Daniel Jones and his future. They have until May to decide on his fifth-year option, but Jones hasn’t justified he’s worth extending up to this point, but co-owner John Mara indicated that every head coach candidate and general manager candidate believed Jones has the talent to build around.
The only truly optimistic season Daniel Jones has had up to this point was his rookie year back in 2019. Jones played in 13 games, accruing 3,027 yards and 24 touchdown passes for a 61.9% completion rate. Jones has enjoyed slight improvements in completion percentage over his three-year career, landing at 64.3% this past season, primarily because of the team’s short route concepts due to a poor offensive line.
Theoretically, if you don’t have to throw the ball down the field, you can increase your success rate on shorter passing attempts, but that only resulted in 10 touchdown passes in 2021.
New head coach Brian Daboll will try to resurrect his career, building off his talents and asking him the concepts and strategies he prefers. Daboll has plenty of experience building and developing an elite quarterback in Josh Allen, so he has a good idea of what it takes to elevate a player.
However, Jones endured a neck injury against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, playing the entire game but missing the remainder of the season with supposed structural damage. Mara indicated that Jones will be back to full speed by the start of the 2022 season.
John Mara said the medical staff has every confidence that Daniel Jones’ neck won’t be an issue.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) January 31, 2022
It is nice to hear that every candidate for both general manager and head coach view Jones as a productive player who they can build around.
Of course, that is exactly what ownership wanted to hear, given they spent the 6th overall pick on him just a few years ago to revive the franchise. Mara stated recently that the team has done “everything possible to screw the kid up,” but bringing in a modern offensive mind should help him take steps in the right direction.
John Mara says every interviewee, coach and GM, expressed confidence about Daniel Jones' potential: pic.twitter.com/QN1RyqC9gD
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) January 31, 2022
By most accounts, the Giants are about to journey on a full rebuild, especially with general manager Joe Schoen having to turn over a lot of roster situations and open up money to spend in free agency and on draft picks.
“I’m not looking at this as an overnight turnaround, this is going to be a process. However long it takes is going to be up to them.”