Giants Adding QB Drew Lock as Veteran Backup
The New York Giants finally have their veteran backup quarterback, having agreed to terms with Drew Lock, most recently of the Seattle Seahawks.
Lock, 6-4 and 228 pounds, was originally a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2019 draft. He spent three years with the Broncos, amassing an 8-13 record as a starter in which he completed 421 of 710 pass attempts for 4,740 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions.
Lock was part of a blockbuster trade between the Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, which saw then-Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson land in Denver. Lock competed last season with Geno Smith for the Seahawks starting quarterback job but lost the role.
Career-wise, Lock is 9-14 as a starter, having completed 59.7 percent of his pass attempts for 5,283 yards and 28 touchdowns to 23 interceptions. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Lock's deal is for one year and up to $5 million.
The Giants intend for incumbent Daniel Jones, rehabbing from a torn ACL, to be their starter once healthy. However, the Giants are also thought to be heavily invested in researching quarterbacks from this historically deep class, with most draft analysts convinced the Giants will draft a quarterback by the second round.
Jones, who is set to enter the second year of his four-year contract, will be on the roster this year, given his cap hit. However, the team could conceivably get out of the contract after this season when the guaranteed money dries up and the team can gain a savings if they were to move on from him.
However, the Giants apparently want to run it back at least one more time with Jones, who did not play well when healthy last year, to see if he can be closer to the quarterback he was in 2022 when he led the team to its first playoff berth since 2016, rather than the inconsistent and skittish player he's been for most of his career.