Has Giants QB Daniel Jones Lost His Confidence?

Jones says he is as confident as ever, but more and more people around the league, including ex-teammates like tight end Kyle Rudolph, disagree.

Aug 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) looks around after the preseason game between the New York Giants and Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium. / Scott Rausenberger-Imagn Images

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones’ disappointing Week 1 performance has sounded the alarm bells loud and clear after just one game, with fans, former players, and media questioning if Jones, now in his sixth NFL season, has lost his confidence.

Former NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph, who had a cup of coffee with the Giants, is among the latest to weigh in on Jones’s confidence level, or lack thereof.

“The Daniel Jones that I saw on Sunday in that game is not the Daniel Jones that I watched take [the Giants] to the divisional round of the playoffs,” he told Kay Adams during an appearance on the Up & Adams show. “It’s not the guy that I played with when I was there for a year.

"His confidence looks completely destroyed and how can you blame him? Every time he goes out there he's fighting for his life.,” Rudolph added.

Jones’s opening week performance against the Minnesota Vikings, his first game back from a season-ending ACL injury suffered last year, did little to quell the calls for his job, and in fact, further fanned the flames of disdain among the fan base for the former Duke signal caller.

Jones, who was mercilessly heckled by fans as he left the stadium Sunday to head to his car, completed only 52.4% of his passes, throwing for two interceptions including a bad Pick-6. He was sacked five times and hit 12, but at least three of those sacks and half of those pressures were a result of him running into trouble rather than either throwing the ball away or flat-out just being smart.

Jones has continued to look skittish behind the offensive line and his slow release time and indecisiveness haven’t helped matters. He has acknowledged that he has to play better, but has also insisted that his confidence is not shot.

“I feel like I've been doubted plenty for a long time and dealt with that time and time again and done a good job with it,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I think my mental toughness is in a good spot and I'm not concerned about that.”  

Jones in fact believes that his issues are more rooted in the fundamentals not being where they need to be.

“Yeah, certainly, I think fundamentally (there are) some things to clean up and just seeing it, trusting it, decision making,” he said. “I think all those things. In each play there are certain things that come up that need to be corrected. I'll look to do that. I'm confident in my ability, confident in my ability to go out and execute and look forward to doing that on Sunday.”

The problem with Jones’s explanation is that this is his sixth NFL season, a time in which his fundamentals should be second nature rather than all over the place, as they’ve been the last two seasons. 

Giants assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said he hasn’t noticed any change in Jones’s confidence level or how he has handled himself.

“Daniel’s a tough kid. He handles it like a pro. He always has,” Kafka said. “He handles it like a pro in the meeting room. And I don’t think his confidence has ever wavered since I’ve been here.”

Regardless, it’s the results that count most, and Jones simply hasn’t been delivering on that front dating back to last year. While he has a better supporting cast around him, he also doesn’t have running back Saquon Barkley there to lean on.

“I think I gotta continue to get into a rhythm and get going, complete some balls, get things moving,” Jones said. “We all gotta do that and that’ll help us build confidence and keep going.”

The good news for Jones is he’s historically done well against the Washington Commanders, this week’s opponent. The bad news is that the Commanders' new head coach, Dan Quinn, comes from the Cowboys, against whose defenses Jones struggled.  

Giants head coach Brian Daboll has not put any expiration date on Jones’s tenure as the starting quarterback, but it’s probably not a stretch to say that if he doesn’t play well, his time as the starter will end a lot sooner than anyone expected.

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