Daniel Jones Not Worried About His Future
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, out for the season after tearing his ACL in his right knee, said his focus is squarely on the present, not his uncertain future with the club.
"I think I'm focused on what I'm doing right now and trying to get my knee ready for the surgery and ready for the process to come back stronger," Jones said Wednesday in his first comments after it was confirmed he tore the ACL in his knee during Sundau's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
"In terms of my future, and what I'm thinking about it, it's that – it’s to attack this process and come back stronger and a better football player."
Jones's latest injury, combined with the Giants poor record and the likelihood of being within range of drafting a franchise quarterback next spring, has left a big cloud hanging over his head.
His roster spot for next season isn't believed to be in jeopardy--not with a $69.315 million dead money cap hit that exceeds the projected $47.615 million cap space the team has per Over the Cap. But his starting job could be if the Giants draft a quarterback in the first round.
But again, Jones isn't thinking about that. He's currently focused on following the trainers recommendations to help reduce the swelling in his knee as soon as possible so he can get the surgery scheduled within the next few weeks and begin rehab. And he's also planning on sticking around the team as much as he can to help out in whatever way the coaches need him.
"I’m still going to be as involved as I can be with helping guys prepare to play and helping (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) this week prepare to play and being in meetings and whatever I can do to help them out, I’m going to do that. Just trying to be there for this team and make sure we finish strong," Jones said.
Jones, who revealed that he only tore his ACL, also confirmed that he doesn't need any procedures done on his neck, which cost him three games this year. He said he injured his knee on the play just before the end of the first quarter.
"I just tried to cut, felt my knee kind of shift a little bit, kind of buckle," he said. "Wasn’t exactly sure what it was; just knew it kind of felt different.
"And then, tried to jog on it, do some light cutting in between the quarters, and it felt okay, so I went back out there. I got to the top of my drop and felt that same kind of shift and buckle in my leg; my knee gave out a little bit there. So, I knew something was up at that point. I had to go in and get checked out."
Jones tried to come back into the game after the initial injury, but when his knee buckled underneath him, he knew he was done for the day and possibly longer. But the good news is he didn't think he caused any more damage to the injury.
"I wasn’t sure what it was at first and thought it might have been a different situation. I thought I was fine. So no, I don’t think it was a mistake," he said.
Jones said he's spoken to other guys who have had torn ACLs to get an idea of what he's in store for. While the ideal timeline for a full recovery after an ACL is about a year, some players have come back sooner than that, depending on the severity of the tear.
"I think it is somewhat of a long rehab process and that there are steps and marks you’ve got to hit," Jones said of what he's learned about the process. "It takes patience, takes a lot of time, takes discipline, and kind of takes a daily focus and effort. You get out what you put into it. Each step of the process is important--can’t afford to skip steps, and I understand that. There’s been a lot of guys who have gone through it and come back really well."
Jones, who's never been a slacker in the work department, wouldn't put a timeline on his recovery other than to vow that he would attack the rehab with vigor.
"In terms of the process, I’m going to attack it every day and try to take all the steps I need to in the appropriate amount of time to be back as soon as I can while also understanding that it is a process and I need to be patient. The goal is to be ready and fully healthy as soon as possible. When that exactly is, I’m not sure."
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