Giants Hoping Daniel Jones's Career Path Can Mirror Patrick Mahomes's

In 2017, Ben McAdoo, then the head coach of the New York Giants, set his sights on a young quarterback out of Texas Tech by the name of Patrick Mahomes, whom he personally worked out during the school's pro day.

McAdoo, who before coming to the Giants had once been the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers where he had worked with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, could only dream of having Mahomes in his offense might be like.

Unfortunately for McAdoo, that dream died on the vine after that year's draft concluded as the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to the tenth overall spot to select Mahomes in that draft. In contrast, the Giants, who sat at No. 23 that year, ended up with tight end Evan Engram.

The Giants might have missed out on their chance to get a franchise quarterback then, but in 2019 and with the sixth overall pick in that draft, the Giants selected Duke signal caller Daniel Jones to be the heir apparent to franchise legend Eli Manning.

The Giants, believing they had their franchise quarterback, haven't looked back, even as Jones has endured an NFL career of ups and downs. Though there have been reassuring signs of growth, Jones is still trying to work toward a productive level of consistency three years into his young career.

Despite his ongoing challenge with developing a stronger foothold in the NFL, Jones has managed to produce solid numbers over his first two-plus seasons.

Among the franchise marks he has set include the most 300+ passing yard games (6), the most completions (717), the highest completion percentage (62.46), and the highest passer rating (84.2) in franchise history, besting Giants quarterback legends such as Manning, Phil Simms, and Charlie Conerly.

Jones is also on pace to surpass Manning’s first three-year franchise record in passing yards (352 yards shy) and is only 14 passing touchdowns away from tying him in first for that category as well.

Though the ride has been, at times, bumpy for Jones, the Giants remain optimistic that their franchise quarterback might one day be as productive as Mahomes, whom New York will be facing on Monday Night Football.

Since taking over as the Chiefs starting quarterback in 2018, Mahomes has been one of the young superstar quarterbacks in the league who has set the bar.

Taking home MVP honors in 2018 after throwing for 5,000+ yards and 50 touchdowns, Mahomes would lead the Chiefs to consecutive Super Bowl appearances, winning one in 2019 and losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year.

Like Mahomes, Jones brings a level of athleticism that has allowed him to make plays with his legs.

"Yeah, Daniel’s made a lot of plays for us on the move," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said this week. "He made a lot of them the other day in the game. He uses his feet to run, and he uses (them) to throw. He has his own style, but he’s been really effective and he’s going to get better and better as we go."

But Garrett wisely stopped short in comparing Jones to Mahomes despite some of the similarities the two might share.

"That guy’s a really, really, special player and he has his style of playing. Obviously, he’s taken the league by storm," said Garrett.

"Just all the different things he’s capable of doing--throwing from the pocket, throwing on the move, making creative plays, throwing back across his body, throwing from awkward, funny body positions. He’s just amazing. You’ve just got to give him credit for what he’s been able to do so far, the way they’ve used him and then just simply how he’s played."

As the Giants prepare to take on Mahomes on Monday night, the Giants are no doubt hoping for Jones to beat Mahomes at his own game.

That's not going to be an easy task, especially with the Giants likely to be without receiver Kenny Golladay and running back Saquon Barkley, but it's also not entirely out of reach as Jones continues to reach his stride in helping the Giants offense be as productive as Mahomes has done for the Chiefs.

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