Heading into the 2024 season, a lot of attention when it comes to the New York Giants will be on quarterback Daniel Jones. After helping the team to a surprising playoff run in the 2022 season, he was rewarded with a huge contract extension during the 2023 NFL Offseason.
It took all of eight months for the Giants to already have buyer’s remorse. The first season of that extension for Daniel Jones was a disaster. Teams adjusted to the game plan the Giants used to win games in 2022 and there was no counter to it.
New York’s offensive line did not perform well, especially when Andrew Thomas was sidelined. The team’s wide receivers weren’t scaring anyone either, but when you sign a four-year, $160 million extension, you need to rise to the occasion. Daniel Jones did not do that and he is squarely on the hot seat.
Over at ESPN, Bill Barnwell shared superlatives for every team in the NFC. For the Giants, his was the team most likely to bench their quarterback during the 2024 season. For several reasons, that is a fitting superlative.
His contract is a major reason why. As Barnwell points out, we have seen teams bench quarterbacks with massive guarantees on their contracts to avoid having to pay big money and get out of those deals.
“In recent years, we’ve seen the Raiders (Derek Carr) and Broncos (Russell Wilson) bench their quarterbacks late in the season to avoid triggering future guarantees in their contracts. Given Jones’ struggles last season, his injury history and the presence of Lock, Jones is going to be on the hot seat in New York. He needs to win the 2025 job before Thanksgiving,” Barnwell wrote.
In addition to the contract, Daniel Jones just hasn’t played well. Even in what was a successful season for the Giants in 2022, he threw only 15 touchdowns and averaged 200.3 yards per game.
That just isn’t going to cut it, even when accounting for the production he adds with his legs. New York has made major improvements to the supporting cast this offseason, but it would not be shocking to see Drew Lock taking snaps as the start at some point in 2024.
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