Former NFL Pro Bowl Defender Makes Blunt Assessment of Giants QB Daniel Jones

Patrick Peterson didn't mince words when critiquing Daniel Jones's game.

East Rutherford, NJ October 22, 2023 -- Daniel Jones of the Giants on the sidelines in the second half. The NY Giants host the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on October 22, 2023. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA

Former NFL cornerback Patrick Peterson isn’t impressed with what he’s seen from New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.

Peterson, a 13-year NFL veteran with three first-team All-Pro honors and eight Pro Bowl berths to his name, commented on his All Things Covered podcast in which former Giants running back Brandon Jacobs guested.

"I had an opportunity to play against Daniel Jones a couple times — ain’t nothing impressive about him to a defense," Peterson said. "He’s big and strong, but he hasn’t shown us arm talent, like, crazy arm talent."

Peterson didn’t stop there, pivoting his criticism of Jones to the quarterback’s mental processing ability after the ball was snapped.

"He’s shown an inability to read defenses quickly, to get the ball out quickly, and I just think he has a problem dissecting the 11 guys on defense," Peterson said. 

"His process is too slow to excel as a great NFL quarterback. He has talent. He has all the measurables. It just not coming together on the football field."

The Giants have been heavily criticized for their decision to give Jones a four-year, $160 million contract, which he’s about to enter the second season of. 

In addition to his struggles on the field, Jones has had a growing and concerning injury history. This past season saw yet another neck issue (though reportedly less severe than the one that ended his 2021 season early) and a torn ACL, an injury that has some wondering if his athleticism and ability to scramble may be compromised in any way.

Others still wonder how well Jones will be able to function now that he no longer has running back Saquon Barkley on his side to take some of the pressure off the quarterback.

Jones, for his part, went through the spring practices with a clear chip on his shoulder despite being limited to just individual drills and seven-on-sevens. He vowed that on July 23, and he showed some testiness when asked about the Giants’ interest in trading up in the draft order to reportedly get former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

“I'm focused on what I need to do,” he said when asked if he was approaching this coming season with a chip on his shoulder. “That's part of it. I'm focused on playing the best football I can play. I'm always motivated. I consider myself a driven guy. I'm always going to work as hard as I possibly can.” 

Jones, who admitted that he wasn’t “fired up” about the reports of the Giants seeking to add a quarterback in the draft, said he didn’t take anything the Giants may have tried to do personally. 

“How exactly it happened and what happened, I'm not sure I know, and I'm not sure you know,” he said. “At the end of the day, I'm focused on playing good football.”

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