Has the Clock Begun to Tick Down on the Giants-Daniel Jones Era?

The handwriting appears to be on the wall for the New York Giants quarterback situation, whether the team wants to admit it publicly.

Oct 20, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) fights off would-be tackler Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat (19) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, before a single question could be asked of him following his team’s embarrassing 28-3 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, announced that quarterback Daniel Jones–the very same quarterback Daboll pulled in the fourth quarter because he was searching for the spark that Jones was unable to provide not just all game long but in the four home game losses, three of which the offense failed to score double-digit points–would be the starter next week when the Giants visit the Pittsburgh Steelers for Monday Night Football.

But make no mistake: The days of Jones as this team’s starting quarterback are starting to dwindle.

We first got confirmation of that during the airing of Hard Knocks, when the team’s brass made a strong effort to trade up in the draft order to acquire one of Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. The Giants, trying to trade with the Patriots, reportedly offered as many as two first-round picks to move up, a clear sign they were serious about the future of their most important position.

We all know how that story ended. The Giants' offers to the Patriots were refused, and New York, having lost out on the two quarterbacks they were strongly believed to have interest in, went to Washington and the Patriots, two teams ahead of them in the draft order.

The Giants? They had no choice but to stick with Jones, who is owed the last of his guaranteed money in his contract this year, a guy they had hoped to serve as a transition player at the position had they been able to get a rookie.

Teams who believe in their quarterback as their “franchise guy” don’t look to trade away premium assets, especially when they have other needs. The Giants’ actions during the spring should have told everyone all they needed to know about how the franchise felt about the quarterback spot.

East Rutherford, NJ -- July 24, 2024 -- Quarterback Daniel Jones and head coach Brian Daboll during the first day of training camp for the 2024 New York Giants. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

But just in case that didn’t, answer this: What franchise benches its franchise quarterback–a guy who has yet to throw a touchdown pass at home this season and who currently owns a six-game streak, an NFL record for the most consecutive home games without throwing a touchdown pass (minimum 20 attempts)--in search of a spark?

A franchise that is in an alarming state of disarray on offense, that’s who. A head coach who maybe is starting to realize–or perhaps even realized a while ago but who found himself in a “pick your poison” position regarding the quarterback spot–that this six-year experiment with Jones isn’t working out.

When Daboll spoke after the game, it seemed clear he was itching to spill his thoughts. But the Giants head coach has been a master at controlling his postgame emotions, win or lose, and Sunday was no exception. He said nothing was good enough, coaching included.

Daboll is no dummy. He knows that the lack of explosive plays, one of three things he identified as being wrong with the offense, isn’t just a result of dropped passes or poor offensive line protection–that the quarterback has to step up into the pocket, have a feel for the route and the play and make the connection with a receiver in stride.

He knows that quick decisions need to be made down in the red zone, where defenses have less ground to cover and hence can close in on receivers wandering in the back of the end zone while the quarterback goes through his still painfully slow processing.

He also knows that Jones isn’t the guy who will give him that every week, no matter the game plan, no matter how hard Jones works, no matter how hard he tries. Daboll won’t admit to it, but he’s had to tailor his offense around Jones's limitations, and that’s no way for an offense to be productive.

That is why, with each passing week, it's becoming more and more obvious that the Giants will have to take a completely different approach this offseason at quarterback.

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Daboll is at another crossroads with this team in terms of holding players accountable for their actions.

Speaking specifically of cornerback Deonte Banks, whose second NFL season has been a disappointment marked by some questions about his effort.

Banks, who was called out by Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson after his poor effort against Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb on a touchdown pass, put forth another lackluster effort on a Jalen Hurts scramble in which he could be seen slowing down his stride before the whistle–and in which Henderson could be seen flying into the picture in a disbelieving rage.

“I really just thought he was gonna slide or whatever, but it was a bad play by me. Bad effort play by me. I think I could have made it,” .

“I play this game because I love this [stuff]. Sometimes, you get frustrated when [stuff’s] not going your way. That’s me just letting the emotions get the best of me.”

If he loved the game as he claimed, then there is no reason not to play through the whistle, as was the case on the Hurts play. But that said, Daboll’s response is going to be interesting.

Does he allow Banks to continue to start and play as though nothing happened, or does he send a message to his team that a constant lack of effort in every play through the whistle simply won’t be tolerated?

We likely won’t find out the answer until next Monday night when the Giants visit Pittsburgh, but the response will be telling because if Daboll doesn’t start holding guys accountable, he risks losing the locker room –and his job. 

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Going back to Hard Knocks for a moment, I keep replaying that scene in which Giants general manager Joe Schoen mentioned a study indicating that most running backs tail off performance-wise once they hit 27.

I’m not saying the Giants should have opened the bank vault to re-sign Saquon Barkley–fixing the offensive line and upgrading the pass rush were the right moves, which means something had to give. 

But what bothered me most about what we learned from Hard Knocks is that general manager Joe Schoen seemed to rely heavily on that study when deciding what to do with Barkley.

Oct 20, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball as New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) pursues during the second half at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Schoen should have known better that everyone is different, and when it comes to these studies, there is no “one size fits all.” As a scout and talent evaluator, he should have used his eyes and knowledge of the game to decide what Barkley’s value was worth to the team. 

Had he come up with a value that he felt was fair instead of letting another team do his negotiating for him, then even if Barkley had signed with the Eagles, he would have looked like a hypocrite after all those years of saying how he wanted to be a Giant for life only to continue refusing offers by the team that drafted him.  

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