Insiders on What’s Next for Giants Following Benching of Daniel Jones

The Giants are focused on their future for the remainder of the regular season, but what does that look like now that they’ve sat down their starting quarterback?

Nov 10, 2024; Munich, Germany; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) prepares to take the snap against the Carolina Panthers in the first half during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In the final couple months of the 2024 season, everything the New York Giants say or do has become about discerning what is to come for the future of their beleaguered franchise. 

That started Monday morning when head coach Brian Daboll announced that the Giants would be benching starting quarterback Daniel Jones and replacing him with third stringer Tommy DeVito over backup Drew Lock for Week 12.

The move, along with Jones’s demotion to where he’s merely serving as an extra arm in practice for individual drills, spells the end of his time in NEw York, as he’s certain to be released before the fifth day of the new league year next March so the Giants don’t have to pay $12 million of his $30 million guaranteed salary as outlined in his four-year, $160 million deal.

As for where the Giants go from here at the most important position on the team, the expectation is for Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen to be present to select the next arm of the Giants’ future, an opportunity they passed on doing this year given how the draft played out. But a few factors could still potentially change that idea, especially if the season continues to go south in the final seven games. 

For now, all of these questions rest in the hands of DeVito who will be earning his second nod at the starting spot in the last two seasons and who two ESPN insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler discussed as the best option to provide the spark the Giants are looking for to revive their offense down the stretch. 

“(DeVito) is a little bit more mobile than (Drew) Lock, and sources I've talked to point to the way the team responded when DeVito took over as the starter last season, when the Giants won three games in a row,” Graziano noted.

“Now, it's pretty important here to note that the opponents they faced during that three-game winning streak committed a combined 12 turnovers in those games, and DeVito probably didn't have a lot to do with that…But the Giants don't feel stupendous about any of their options at the moment, and coach Brian Daboll said the word "spark" multiple times in his Monday news conference when talking about what he thinks DeVito can bring.”

DeVito wasn’t astounding by any stretch of the imagination in 2023, but he showed that he can manage a huddle and serve as the catalyst for moderate offensive success that the Giants hadn’t yet seen in six woeful games behind Jones last fall. 

In his six respective starts, DeVito completed 64.0 percent of his passes for 1,101 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions while adding another 195 yards and a score with his legs. 

The Giants were averaging just 10.8 points per game before he assumed the helm and his leadership jolted them to two games with 24 or more points in the first three games win which came with seven touchdowns and just one lone turnover.  

Playing DeVito over Lock was touted as a football decision, but it really extends beyond into the immediate and long-term financials of the organization. 

However, there are two sides to the coin when it comes to running with DeVito. If he performs well and leads the Giants to a couple late season wins, it could push the Giants out of contention again for one of the top quarterback prospects in a more limited pool than the 2024 class.

On the other hand, if he fails miserably and the current record withstands at the final quarter of the schedule, it could force the hand team ownership to search elsewhere for the answers at head coach and general manager and the whole process would begrudgingly start all over again for New York.

Schoen and Daboll must know that they are playing a game of tightrope with their latest decision, one that seems to have the ownership bought for now, but with the immediate attitude of some of the players in the locker room that could change swiftly.

“Owner John Mara went on record last month saying that Daboll and Schoen would be back in 2025, but it raises the question: Will he actually follow through?,” Fowler said. 

“I've talked to people in and around that situation who believe Mara really does want to keep them both, with the notion that he has been cycling through coaches every 2-3 years and would very much like to stop. He has bought into the Daboll/Schoen vision and trusted them to make the decision to bench Jones and the pairing has yet to pick its own quarterback of the future, too.”

“Others around the league are a tad more skeptical, with some people who follow these types of things closely forecasting it more like 50-50. If it's Week 17, MetLife Stadium is half full and the Giants are stuck on two wins, Mara's stance will be tested.”

Should the duo survive the rest of the season and any immediate turmoil from Mara, the two insiders mentioned that their options for a plan at quarterback are numerous, but revolve around how things end on the record sheet that currently sits at 2-8. 

Their best and most common sensical route is to snag one of the top college gunslingers should they land in the top two or three slots, but that is going to be tough with a handful of other NFL teams lingering for the same positioning, including a few that are still on their remainder schedule like the Cowboys and Saints. 

There is also the proposition of recruiting a veteran off the trade or free market for which there are a few potentially interesting candidates such as Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson or Just Fields. These names would only work to serve as bridge arms until the rookie choice is taken and developed into a starting caliber player. 

Which is why the switch to DeVito can bring some insurance to a shaky Giants locker, but it shouldn’t be viewed as the long term answer beyond staying around to be the wingman for whomever comes next. With two months left in the season, there is a lot of uncertainty left to be discerned and the Giants have the time to do it albeit the real solution is clear for their current regime.

“By most accounts, this quarterback draft class doesn't have the depth or quality of the 2024 group, so if they don't end up picking in the top two or three slots, the Giants could be shut out,” Graziano said. “If they aren't in position to draft Jones' successor, there are a few potentially intriguing options on the free agent/trade market…best case, the Giants draft a talented player they can develop quickly and have around for a long time.”

“DeVito is the perfect QB2/QB3 for New York for years to come,  but the Giants will inevitably need to double down with a draft pick and veteran help to address this massive need,” Fowler added. “I'm with you that this draft class is not considered a slam dunk, but the Giants are about to spend the next five-plus months figuring it all out.”

Next. 11/18: Daboll Seeks Spark from DeVito. Brian Daboll Seeks Spark from Tommy DeVito for Giants' Lethargic Offense. dark

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