Giants’ Daniel Jones ‘making good progress’ in ACL recovery with pivotal draft decision looming
Daniel Jones isn’t going to give up his job as the Giants’ starting quarterback without a fight.
As speculation runs rampant that the Giants could reset by using the No. 6 pick in the draft on a quarterback, Jones said Monday that he expects to be finished rehabbing his torn ACL in time to play Week 1 of the 2024 season.
“The goal is to be back by training camp,” Jones said Monday as the Giants emptied their lockers, “and I feel like I’m making good progress.”
The Giants have to add a quarterback one way or another because only Jones and Tommy DeVito are under contract in 2024.
But adding a journeyman veteran or drafting a rookie in the mid-or late-rounds is a very different proposition than pursuing top prospects Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.
Pivoting off of Jones so soon after giving him a four-year, $160 million extension last March could be a tough pill to swallow, especially because he is due to count $47.1 million against the 2024 salary cap and carries a $22.2 million dead cap in 2025 if let go.
If six rough starts and two injuries were enough to change the direction of the franchise, then the contract could be seen as a mistake considering Jones’ résumé certainly suggested injuries and inconsistency would reoccur along the way.
“You do a deal with Daniel and you see how it was structured,” general manager Joe Schoen said in a rare admittance that the Giants’ plans were sped up by a surprise 9-7-1 season in 2022. “So you try to expedite the process and give him a chance to succeed.”
Wouldn’t Jones like to see the Giants use pick No. 6 on a receiver or offensive lineman to make his life easier than it was when he threw two touchdowns, six interceptions and was sacked 30 times in six starts?
“I’m confident in myself, confident in my abilities,” Jones said. “Anything I’ve gotten from the coaches or management has been belief or confidence in me.”
Schoen sang a similar tune Monday, though he admitted that Jones’ injury history “absolutely” has to be a consideration in planning.
In addition to the torn ACL, Jones also suffered a second major neck injury in the last three seasons. Jones said rehab on the neck is complete and “not a concern.”
“Each of those injuries are different circumstances and situational things that come up,” Jones said, “but I’m confident I’ll be healthy.”
So, Schoen doubled down on his belief that he can build around a quarterback who has missed games in four of five seasons.
“It’s football and guys get hurt,” Schoen said. “You can’t always predict it.”
But Schoen was less committal on Jones’ readiness to play in about 244 days.
“There’s a chance he’s not ready Week 1,” Schoen said. “Plan for the worst, hope for the best — like you plan for him not being ready, so you’re going to need somebody that can hopefully win you some games early on if he’s not ready.”
