The New York Giants have a decision to make in the first round that will either set them back for the next five years or turn the chapter on an ugly past few seasons that have been littered with injury and horrible performance.
The Giants did make a postseason appearance two years ago. They paid quarterback Daniel Jones after beating the Minnesota Vikings and then being demolished by the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional game.
Unfortunately, Jones faced the perfect storm in 2023, suffering a torn ACL and the worst pass-protecting offensive line in the game. Many of the problems that Jones has faced over the past five years haven’t been his fault, but the Giants hired head coach Brian Daboll to develop a quarterback, and it is time they finally provide him with a young player he can mold into a franchise-caliber player.
By taking the out in Daniel Jones’s contract, the Giants can open up as much as $30 million next off-season to spend in free agency, but that assumes they draft a quarterback that will reset that rookie window and provide them with free-flowing cash in the future
The Giants Need to Secure a Quarterback
Many believe the Giants should stick at 6th overall and take a premium receiver like Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers. The expectation is one of those two players will be available.
With that being said, the most important position in football is quarterback, and the Giants currently don’t have a long-term solution. This draft class is considered to be highly regarded since even owner John Mara suggested that the front office believes this is one of the best position groups they’ve seen in many years.
“If they fall in love with a quarterback and believe that it’s worth pick No. 6 or moving up, I certainly would support that,” Mara said.
If the Giants feel that this quarterback class has elite upside at the top of the first round, management should absolutely look to move up and secure a player that Daboll can get his hands on.
After all, he managed to extract maximum value from Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito, so it is safe to say that a young player with elite tools would provide the Giants with a much more positive outlook in the future.
Next year’s draft class is objectively worse at the quarterback position, and free agency is always a daunting path to take when looking for a new passer.
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The Giants Need to be Aggressive and Not Passive
That being said, the Giants waiting until the second round of the 2024 NFL draft certainly poses substantial risk since you ultimately get what you pay for. Unless general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll believe they can find fantastic value in other rounds, they should be doing everything in their power to add competition to the quarterback room and keep Jones off the field permanently.
If Jones sustains another season-ending injury in 2024, the Giants will be on the hook for his entire 2025 cap hit, which is $41.6 million. If he stays healthy and doesn’t play a down, the Giants can take the out in his contract and save a minimum of $19.5 million.
This should be an easy path for the Giants. Schoen has prioritized positional value this off-season, letting Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney walk to invest their salary in a top-tier pass rusher. Schoen is not afraid to be aggressive. If he has conviction in a young quarterback who can lead this team into the future and elevate the performance of everyone, he will likely do whatever is necessary to secure that talent.