Giants John Mara Has No Regrets About Daniel Jones's Contract

The Giants' co-owner still believes Jones can lead this team's offense.

Aug 1, 2024; Hackensack, NJ, USA; New York Giants President and CEO John Mara speaks during a ceremony to unveil a mural celebrating the New York Giants 100th season at Hackensack University Medical Center. / Michael Karas-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

New York Giants COO John Mara apparently saw enough of embattled quarterback Daniel Jones during the team’s 2022 playoff run to sign off on general manager Joe Schoen’s offering the former Duke signal caller a four-year, $160 million deal.

That’s the sentiment expressed by the 69-year-old Mara to reporters during a special unveiling of a Giants-themed mural at Hackensack Medical University as part of the team’s 100th anniversary celebration.   

Reporters asked Mara if he had any regrets about the deal after it was revealed in Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants that Scheon and head coach Brian Daboll were more heavily involved than usual in the scouting and betting of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class.

John Mara was asked how he feels about the contract given to Daniel Jones and the quarterback situation:

"I'm still happy we gave him that contract. Let's give him a chance with a better offensive line with some weapons around him to see what he can do" pic.twitter.com/SpudZzc0Od

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) August 1, 2024

“I’m still happy we gave him that contract,” Mara said. “I thought he played really well for us in ’22. Last year, he got hurt, and we weren’t blocking anybody when he was playing. So let's give him a chance with a better offensive line with some weapons around him to see what he can do."

During the Hard Knocks series, it was shown that Schoen was looking to trade up to No. 3 in the draft, the spot held by New England, hoping to presumably land either North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

Daniels went to Washington at No. 2, while Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf told Schoen that they would stand pat at No. 3 despite receiving a ridiculous trade offer similar to what the New Orleans Saints executed with Washington in 1999 for running back Ricky Williams. 

In that historic trade, the Saints sent their first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-round draft picks that year plus their first and third-round picks in the 2000 draft to move from 12th to fifth overall in the 1999 draft to acquire Williams.  

While Mara left the decision to Schoen and Daboll regarding whether to make a trade.

But Mara admitted that he had his reservations about that possibility. 

“I was nervous about giving up too much to go and get a quarterback, but I was prepared to let them do that if that’s what they wanted to do,” he said. 

“We made a decision to stay with Daniel and add a weapon (receiver Malik Nabers) for him, and I think it’s going to work out for him.”

If it doesn’t, the Giants can terminate Jones’s contract after this season, as the last of the guaranteed money will have been paid out by then.

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