Giants Country

Former Giants RB Tiki Barber Slams Tom Brady for Daniel Jones Criticism

The former Giants running back took offense to the seven-time Super Bowl champion turned broadcaster’s comments about Daniel Jones' exit.

Stephen Lebitsch

Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Former quarterback and current NFL announcer Tom Brady looks on before the game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Former quarterback and current NFL announcer Tom Brady looks on before the game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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Former seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady will always be a living symbol of disdain in the modern history of the New York Giants organization, but he recently came out with some comments that has renewed the ire of one member of the franchise community. 

Brady, the former New England Patriot and Tampa Bay Buccaneer who is now a well-paid color commentator for FOX, made headlines this past week when he unjustly criticized Daniel Jones for requesting his release from the Giants after being benched last month. 

The novice broadcaster hasn’t been afforded the same privileges in his new role as the rest of his industry counterparts due to his minority ownership interest in the Las Vegas Raiders that prevents him from attending television production meetings that afford those working the game insight into behind-the-scenes matters. 

Still, the lack of clarity on the situation didn’t stop Brady from criticizing Jones for wanting to depart from the Giants after six years instead of sticking around for the rest of the season as he claims he would have handled it. 

The brief bit on Thursday’s telecast of the Cowboys’ 27-20 win over the Giants was caught by former Giants running back and WFAN co-host Tiki Barber, who went after the legendary quarterback’s judgement on his afternoon drive program.

“Do you think he’s having that conversation because he doesn’t do production meetings?” Barber asked. 

“Because if you’re in a production meeting … if you’d have any kind of conversation with anybody on the Giants, you are not saying that. I honestly don’t think you’re saying it that way,”

Barber’s rebuke comes from a man who not only shares the same workspace as Brady, but one who is in a much more familiar place with the workings of the Giants organization and how the events surrounding Jones’ departure unfurled. 

With the Giants season spiraling into an eighth double-digit loss campaign in the last 10 years, the team’s leadership elected to make a change at the position in the hopes of shaking things up. 

New York benched Jones and placed him down to the fourth quarterback on the depth chart behind fellow arms Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock, officially sealing his tenure in East Rutherford that would end in separation at the end of the 2024 schedule. 

However, the Giants didn’t need to wait that long to cut ties with their former first-round draft pick as Jones requested his release from ownership and subsequently signed with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad for the remainder of the season, a pairing with head coach Kevin O’Connell who had been a fan of Jones’ game dating back to the 2019 draft when he was coming out of Duke. 

From Brady’s, or any true outsider’s perspective, the move by Jones was perceived as a jumping ship of sorts and an abandonment of his teammates in the locker room in the heat of the moment of change, which the retired gunslinger said is not the approach he would have taken. 

“I don’t know how that whole situation went down but to think that you’d ask for a release from a team that committed a lot to you is maybe different from how I would’ve handled that,” Brady said on the broadcast. 

“I always felt I wanted to get the trust and respect of my teammates regardless of the situation, knowing that I was trying to be the best I could for the team because that was the most important thing.”

The reality of the sudden divorce was that it had nothing to do with quick bridges burned or an immature reaction by the beleaguered Jones when he was asked to help the team as a member of the scout defensive unit in the Giants’ practice. 

The Giants were by no means trying to embarrass their former No. 6 pick nor waste his time by forcing him to stay around just to linger on the sidelines for several more games before severing ties in the offseason. 

Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll thought to rip open the wound now and part ways with Jones to prevent him getting injured and activating the $23 million injury guarantee under their watch. 

With that settlement, the Giants could turn their focus on the state of the quarterback position and discern where they need to go in the next chapter. On Jones’ end, he was free to seek a new home to start over and potentially rebuild his struggling career without the sharpened expectations that come from the heated New York market. 

As Barber proclaimed on his radio show, it was the idea of realizing time was up and seeking new beginnings in the best interest of both parties. It was about letting Jones have his dignity and the power to further his career elsewhere while the Giants discern who the next heir apparent will be in several months. 

“It was nothing. So to make it a big deal is disingenuous of people who don’t know what they’re talking about,” Barber said.

“Number 2 — the reason he asked for his release is because they wouldn’t even let him work out. Like going to the gym, lifting weights, doing anything that was physical — he couldn’t do it! He’s gonna sit around for 5-6 weeks and basically just be a potato and do nothing?”

“If you have a conversation, a production meeting with the Giants, about all the stuff that’s actually going on which most people aren’t privy to, you don’t say what you just said on the air. That’s just wrong of Tom,” Barber concluded.

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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