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NFL Insider Says Giants Might Not Be Done with Daniel Jones as Starter

The benching of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones isn't a slam dunk.

Patricia Traina

Nov 10, 2024; Munich, Germany; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) carries the ball against the New York Giants in the second half during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena.
Nov 10, 2024; Munich, Germany; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) carries the ball against the New York Giants in the second half during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The New York Giants aren’t expected to announce their plans regarding their starting quarterback for Week 12 until they return from the bye on Monday at the earliest, but according to one report, the door is not completely closed on Daniel Jones as the starter.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic, appearing on The Dan Le Batard Show, stressed that while no decision has been made as of Friday, she’s hearing that Jones could retain his job for a additional weeks.

“At this point, from what I’ve been hearing and the conversations I’ve had, Daniel Jones may be staying as the starting quarterback here for a few more weeks,” Russini said. 

“I’m not sure if this is completely done. We’re going to know more this weekend, though, when they come back from their bye, and they meet with their quarterbacks.” 

The thought of Jones retaining the starting job for a few more weeks probably won’t sit well with a growing section of the fan base fed up with the missed throws, the poor reads, and the decisions that have been a part of Jones’s game. Still, Russini notes that in evaluating the quarterback situation, the Giants might believe that of their three quarterbacks, Jones still gives the team the best chance to win games. 

“You’ve got Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, despite the vote of confidence from their owner John Mara, it may appear that they’re safe, but we know how this goes. Even if the owner says that if they go out there and lose in a really bad way and it’s ugly football, it’s going to be really hard to bring those guys back there,” Russini said.

“In the mind of a Brian Daboll and a Joe Schoen, we don’t really know what Drew Lock’s about. I think Daniel Jones may still give them the best chance to win.”

Jones, of course, has the $23 million injury guarantee that looms large as part of the “football decision” that needs to be made. Schoen told reporters this week that the contract and the injury guarantee alone won’t be deciding factors in determining which direction they go at quarterback.

As Russini pointed out, if the Giants continue to lose games, it could spell the end of one or both of Schoen and Daboll, despite team co-owner John Mara saying last month that he didn’t anticipate making any changes to the general manager or head coaching spots after the season.

If the Giants do stay with Jones and he continues to struggle or, worse yet, gets injured, the Giants would be in even further trouble given that they have another game four days after their Week 12 home date against Tampa Bay when they visit the Dallas Cowboys for a Thanksgiving date. With the team unlikely to hold a full practice during that four-day turnaround, whoever starts next Sunday will almost certainly get the start on Thanksgiving.

The other train of thought behind possibly sticking with Jones is to see if the team, despite its 2-8 record, has not been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and makes any sort of late-season push. That, of course, could be asking a lot of a team that has struggled badly this season, but it’s a possibility that can’t be ruled out.

The biggest reason, though, to bench Jones is the $23 million injury guarantee, which he'd collect next March if he can’t pass a physical. That said, if the team is going to stick with Jones, they may seek to either negotiate a lower guarantee or eliminate it since the amount wasn’t guaranteed at signing and, hence, is not certain to be collected. 

From Jones’s perspective, though, agreeing to eliminate the guarantee would be bad business, though potentially agreeing to lower it might be a way to meet the team halfway. 

The question, though, is if Jones would be willing to do so if asked by the Giants, given how they tried to trade up in this past year's draft to get a new franchise quarterback, something that left a bad taste in Jones’s mouth, as did his benching against the Eagles in a blowout loss a few weeks ago.

dark. Next. 11/12: Factors Giants Considering in QB Switch. Factors Giants Are Likely Considering in Potential Quarterback Switch

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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