As the Giants brain trust gets together during this bye week to try to figure out what has gone wrong in a season in which they are 2-8, the issue of whether or not to keep starting Daniel Jones at quarterback or sending him to the bench is definitely a hot topic of discussion.
There is that injury guarantee sitting out there that seems to be daunting: If Jones gets hurt in the remaining seven games of a lost campaign and cannot pass a physical for the start of the 2025 season, the Giants are on the hook for $23 million.
That business aspect to all this will not be the determining factor.
“The decisions we make will be football decisions,’’ general manager Joe Schoen said Tuesday.
Based purely on football, it is going to be exceedingly difficult to keep going with Jones.
He is the triggerman of an impotent offense that is averaging an NFL-low 15.6 points a game. He is 31st with a passer rating of 79.4, 27th in completion percentage (63.3), 15th in yards (2,070), 25th in touchdown passes (eight) and 13th in interceptions (seven). Jones threw two interceptions in the red zone in this past Sunday’s 20-17 overtime loss to the Panthers in Munich.
“We’re going to evaluate it the rest of the week,’’ Schoen said of sticking with Jones or else naming Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito as the new starter.
The high-water mark for Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll with Jones came on Jan. 15, 2023, the first playoff game for all three with the Giants. Jones was a two-way menace, completing 24 of 33 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 114.0 in a 31-24 road victory over the Vikings.
He also ran seven times for 78 yards. Based on that game, the body of work during that season and an expectation that the Daboll-Jones partnership would continue to bond and grow, the decision was made to give Jones a four-year deal worth $160 million.
Jones since signing a deal that guaranteed him $81 million is 3-13 in 16 starts, missing most of the 2023 season after tearing his right ACL.
When asked how Jones is playing this season, Schoen said, “We’re 2-8 and so everybody needs to, including myself, look in the mirror and how can we do things better.
“I understand you guys want to ask about Daniel and the quarterback position, that’s what comes with the territory specifically, in this market. Again, it’s not all on one person.’’