New Forecast Paints Grim Outcome for Giants' 2024 Season

ESPN's insiders offer a lukewarm take on the Giants' 2024 season.

Aug 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) discusses the next play with New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll during the game against the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium. | Scott Rausenberger-USA TODAY Sports

One might be hard-pressed to find any national media outlet with a high opinion of the New York Giants ahead of the upcoming season, and ESPN’s NFL Insiders are no different.

The Giants, coming off a 6-11 record last season in which just about everything that could have gone wrong did, are projected to have a best-case record of 9-8 and a worst-case record of 4-13.

The projections begin with embattled quarterback Daniel Jones, who is coming off an ACL injury and five seasons of up-and-down play, which still have people wondering if he’ll ever live up to his first-round draft pedigree from 2019.

The other person viewed as integral to the Giants' success or lack thereof is head coach Brian Daboll, who, along with general manager Joe Schoen, built the roster and will serve as the playcaller this season.

The Giants will go as far as Jones can take them. They are banking on a veteran whose inconsistency has led a growing faction of the fan base to scream for an end to the Jones era, but the Giants, who have $36 million in guaranteed money committed to the former Duke quarterback, are pretty much stuck with having to play him this season unless the season tanks.

With Daboll, a known quarterback whisperer, taking over the play calling and the additions of an improved offensive line and a No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers, expectations are high for Jones and the Giants offense this year.

Daboll, as play-caller this spring and summer, has been trying to shape the offense to be more of a vertical threat, but Jones has been inconsistent in delivering that kind of production, partly due to his ongoing post-snap processing issues.

The Giants, who last year ranked last in explosive plays, have also had trouble scoring points. Last year, they averaged fewer than 12 points through the first 10 games of the season, which simply isn’t going to get it done.

The organization has backed Jones after heavily flirting with the possibility of trading up in this year’s draft to get a new quarterback. Jones won’t have running back Saquon Barkley to earn on this year as he’s now with the Eagles, but the Giants have a reliable back in Devin Singletary.

The Giants hope to start fast and finish with a better record than last year’s six-win total. If that doesn’t happen, it will certainly spell the end of the Jones era and set the franchise up for another offseason of uncertainty and rebuild.