Fired-up Giants QB Daniel Jones Aims to Prove Critics Wrong

Jones is on a mission this year to silence the growing voices of his critics.

East Rutherford, NJ -- June 11, 2024 -- Quarterback Daniel Jones is interviewed at the end of practice field at the NY Giants Mandatory Minicamp at their practice facility in East Rutherford, NJ. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is ticked off, and he’s not going to take it anymore.

So believes NFL insider Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, who opined that Jones has had it up and over with the doubters who seem to constantly take aim at him for being the source of the Giants' woes. 

And yes, that would also seem to include the Giants brass, who, after what some believe was an unusually heavy and thorough look at the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class (which general manager Joe Schoen claimed was merely due diligence), tried to trade up in this year's draft to have a chance at former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. 

“Privately, all offseason long, he’s been telling people he is as motivated as ever,” Meirov said. “The negativity, the talk about drafting a quarterback with the sixth overall pick–that lit a fire in a player like him, and he wants to prove everybody wrong a year after getting that big contract.”

Anyone who was witness to the open practices and press conferences this spring couldn’t help but notice how Jones, who is currently recovering from a torn ACL, had a little extra edge in everything he did. While he was not cleared to do 11-on-11 work in the spring, Jones insisted that he’d be ready to do everything by the time the Giants hold their first training camp practice on July 24.

When he wasn’t moving around with purpose in the field, the normally stoic Jones, when taking to the podium, struggled to keep his feelings in check.

“I'm focused on what I need to do,” Jones said in his first public comments since the draft. “That's part of it. I'm focused on playing the best football I can play. I'm always motivated. I consider myself a really driven guy. I'm always going to work as hard as I possibly can.”

He also admitted he wasn’t fired up about the reports that the Giants were looking to draft a quarterback in the first round, even slightly snapping at a reporter who asked him if he took the Giants' intentions personally.

“I don't think you can take anything personally at this level,” he said with a steely gaze. “How exactly it happened and what happened, I'm not sure I know, and I'm not sure you know. At the end of the day, I'm focused on playing good football.”

Jones insisted that he is in a good spot with the organization and its commitment to him for the long term, even though the team can exit from the four-year, $160 million contract they gave him last off-season if things go south again this year.

“I feel good about where we're going. I feel good about this team,” he said. “My job is to get healthy and play good football.”

He’s also not worried about the presence of Drew Lock, whom some believe was brought in to compete with Jones for the starting job. 

“We're all trying to do what we can to make this team as good as possible. Like any other year, I'm competing with the guys in there. Like every room on our team, there's competition.“

Jones, who has been hard at work on his rehab, has made it crystal clear that he expects to be ready to go on the first day of training camp and shares the team’s expectations for the coming season.

“We have high expectations. We always do,” Jones said. “You know, we're going to get there by putting the work in every day and making sure we're ready to go for the first day of training camp, and when we get into training camp, getting everything out of each practice and improving and growing together. We've got high expectations of what we can be as a team and what we can be as an offense.” 

That starts with Jones's own expectations.

“I always feel like I have a lot to prove. I'm motivated. I’m doing everything I can to be ready to go,” he said.

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