Giants Country

Former NFL Executive Thinks Giants Should Hold QB Competition

Never mind that the Giants' brass has consistently said that Daniel Jones will be the starter once healthy.

Patricia Traina

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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If you thought the intrigue surrounding who the New York Giants would draft in the first round was edge-of-your-seat interesting, another storyline offers greater interest.

That would be the identity of the team’s starting quarterback. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have both said on multiple occasions that the starter will be incumbent Daniel Jones, assuming he is cleared medically to do everything following his torn ACL.

But still, not everyone is buying the rare personnel giveaway from Daboll and Schoen as being factual, even after the team didn’t move heaven and earth to move up in the first round to get North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye and when they passed on Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, whom they reportedly liked, but not enough to select at No. 6 where they instead selected receiver Malik Nabers.

But skeptics who refuse to take Schoen and Daboll at their word believe that there will be a quarterback competition this summer that will pit Drew Lock, signed to be the backup this past off-season, against Jones, who is entering Year 2 of that four-year, $160 million contract he signed last off-season.

Like former Giants Vice President of Player Evaluation Marc Ross, now an NFL Network Analyst and someone who has been beating the drum for the Giants to move on from Jones. 

During a spot on NFL Total Access, Ross was asked if he believed Lock had a chance of changing Schoen and Daboll’s minds regarding the identity of the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1 of the regular season.

“Yes, he does. And I think our guy Mike Garafolo hinted at it when they said, ‘Yeah, there can be an open competition.’ And I think there really should be,” Ross said. 

“You look at the Giants’ offense last year, and they played better, scored more points, and won more games when Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito played, as opposed to when Daniel Jones played.”

Ross pointed to the inconsistent play of Jones and the injuries, which, in addition to the torn ACL, included a stinger that cost Jones three games.

Jones, who in 2022 finally looked like he turned the corner in establishing himself as a quarterback with whom the Giants could win, delivered two decent quarters of football before his 2023 season was cut short those two quarters coming in the second half of the team’s Week 2 comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Jones supporters will point to the rash of injuries that disrupted the flow of the offense with Jones under center, including the hamstring strain suffered by left tackle Andrew Thomas in Week 1 and then the high ankle sprain suffered by running back Saquon Barkley and the hamstring strain suffered by tight end Darren Waller.

Then there was also the historically bad showing by the offensive line, credited with allowing 85 sacks last season, the second most in league history since sacks became a tracked stat.

However, neither Taylor nor DeVito had a full supporting cast during their respective stints as the team’s starting quarterback, yet both put up better overall numbers than Jones.

The Giants heavily invested in offensive line upgrades during the free agency period, which they hope will allow Jones, who rightfully became skittish behind the offensive line's inconsistent play last season, to settle down. 

They also added some young play-making talent, including receiver Malik Nabers, their first-round draft pick; tight end Theo Johnson, their fourth-round pick; and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., their fifth-round pick.

Ross, for what it’s worth, may have misinterpreted what Garafolo actually said: “They have the faith in Daniel Jones to be ready to go in Week 1 and be a full participant in training camp. By the way, they also believe Drew Lock has a chance to compete a bit and maybe push Daniel Jones. We’ll see.”

 But while Jones remains confident of being ready for the start of training camp, which is still several weeks out, there are questions as to whether Jones will get the green light to play in the preseason games or if the coaches will turn to Lock and DeVito at that point to get them both ready just in case.

That’s likely where those who believe there will be competition for the starting job are getting the idea, despite what Schoen and Daboll have said in the past.

Jones is on the books for $47 million this year, with $36 million guaranteed. 

The team can move on from him after this season if they choose to, saving $19.395 million if they do so before June 1, 2025, which they would have to do before  March 15, 2025, to avoid having to guarantee $12 million of Jones’s $30 million base salary owed that year.

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Patricia Traina

PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for over three decades for various media outlets. She is the host of the Locked On Giants podcast and the author of "The Big 50: New York Giants: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants" (Triumph Books, September 2020). View Patricia's full bio.