Giants Country

Rich Eisen Doubles Down on His Initial Daniel Jones Report

Eisen said earlier this offseason that the Giants were done with Jones and reiterated the fact after the second episode of Hard Knocks.

Andrew Parsaud

East Rutherford, NJ -- June 11, 2024 -- Daniel Jones and head coach Brian Daboll at the NY Giants Mandatory Minicamp at their practice facility in East Rutherford, NJ.
East Rutherford, NJ -- June 11, 2024 -- Daniel Jones and head coach Brian Daboll at the NY Giants Mandatory Minicamp at their practice facility in East Rutherford, NJ. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA
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Despite any claims made by the New York Giants, NFL Network analyst Rich Eisen, host of The Rich Eisen Podcast, believes the Giants were trying to upgrade the quarterback position, which supported his belief that the Giants were “done” with quarterback Daniel Jones.

Episode 2 of Hard Knocks showed Giants general manager Joe Schoen initiating trade talks with New England Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf at the combine in which Schoen asked Wolf to call him if he was thinking of doing anything with the third overall pick in this year’s draft. 

Add to that the Giants brass’s discussion about needing to “protect ourselves” in the event Jones, who is recovering from a torn ACL, wasn’t ready to go, and it’s easy to see why someone might think the Giants were looking to move on from Jones.

Eisen, for his part, doubled down on his assertion that the Giants were looking to move on from Jones in his latest show.

"The one I said that I got I think a lot of heat because it involved a New York sports franchise, was that the Giants were done with Daniel Jones,” Eisen said. “And I also said, while saying that the Giants are done with Daniel Jones, that they knew they had to use him this coming year unless they were going to go and draft a kid."

Hard Knocks has given viewers a taste of how detailed the team got with their interviewing quarterbacks. However Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have both tried to downplay that by saying they were simply doing due diligence into every position in the draft class, including this year’s historically deep quarterbacks class.

But it’s important to remember that when Schoen made the comments about “protecting ourselves” regarding the quarterback spot, those were made when Jones was just at the beginning of his rehab stage. He’s since made enough progress to do some work this spring in individual drills and seven-on-sevens, and has insisted that he will be ready for the start of training camp to take on team drills.

Schoen, in the Hard Knocks episodes, seems to have gone out of his way to defend the quarterback, noting how Jones had to play behind a lousy offensive line last year that not even Chiefs quarterback PAtrick MAhomes could have won with. 

The Giants, after not landing a quarterback in this draft class, went out and built the roster around Jones, including adding five new offensive linemen, a revamped running back room, a No. 1 receiver and a new tight end. 

It’s also expected that this coming season head coach Brian Daboll will take over the playcalling. 

In short, the Giants have done everything possible to eliminate excuses for Jones to fall back on, short of figuring out how to keep him healthy, which is another major issue.  Jones, meanwhile, has looked impressive in recent workout videos, showing no sign of having had an ACL injury.

This is a critical season for Jones and the Giants. While he did sign a four-year deal after the 2022 season, the team has an out after this season, clearing a potential path to moving off Jones if he doesn't show significant improvement in 2024. 

This has led many to believe this could be Jones' last season with the Giants, despite the improvements placed around him. But the ball is in the former Duke star’s court as the team has done everything it possibly can to put talent around him. 

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Andrew Parsaud

ANDREW PARSAUD

Andrew Parsaud is currently attending Penn State, where he is studying digital journalism and media. He is an avid follower of the major New York sports teams. 

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