NFL Analysis
11/18/24
6 min read
Is Daniel Jones Benching Rock Bottom for New York Giants?
As if things couldn't get any worse for the New York Giants, benching Daniel Jones feels like rock bottom for the franchise.
In a year where Giants fans have watched the team let Xavier McKinney and Saquon Barkley walk in free agency to thrive with new teams, New York is 2-8 and has decided to pull the plug on the season by benching its starting quarterback.
Tommy DeVito will return to the starting lineup in place of Jones. While it's being pitched as a football decision, benching Jones also prevents the Giants from potentially giving the former first-round quarterback a $23 million injury guarantee if he were to go down during a game.
While benching Jones could theoretically give the Giants an in-season bounce, it's also a glaring indictment of the franchise's state and a decision that could lead to a complete teardown and rebuild of the organization this offseason.
New York Giants 7-Round Mock Draft
Jones Is Only Getting Worse
Since the Giants drafted him sixth overall in 2019, his relationship with the fanbase has been tenuous at best.
Jones did just enough in 2022 to lead the Giants to a 9-6-1 record and a playoff win, earning a four-year, $160 million contract extension the following offseason. That contract quickly put the Giants in a difficult cap situation in 2024, adding a $47.9 million cap they couldn't get out of.
The Giants will likely have to take their medicine and embrace a $22.2 million dead cap hit this offseason to move on from their former first-round pick because he's been one of the most disappointing quarterbacks in the league this year.
According to NFELO, Jones ranks 22nd in completion percentage over expected, 28th in EPA per dropback, and 32nd in adjusted net yards per attempt out of 46 qualified quarterbacks.
The Giants even found a thrilling new No. 1 receiver for Jones in first-round pick Malik Nabers. Despite the explosive deep threat, Jones ranks 28th in average depth of target, throwing 7.5 yards downfield.
Jones' most recent passing chart from Week 10 shows little effort at pushing the ball vertically and a pair of baffling interceptions right at the line of scrimmage in the loss to the Carolina Panthers.
A banged-up offensive line has played a factor in Jones' struggles this season. Multiple key starters have missed time, and Jones is the fourth-most pressured quarterback in the NFL, feeling pressure on 145 of his dropbacks.
However, even when throwing from a clean pocket, Jones' accuracy just hasn't been there.
Daniel Jones showing the Germans what he can do from a clean pocket#NFL #KeepPounding #NYGvsCAR pic.twitter.com/up57lJBhyb
— Blego (@BlegoBro) November 10, 2024
As one of the least efficient quarterbacks in football, Jones isn't living up to his hefty contract. The Giants will likely move on from him this offseason, but he probably won't be the only person in the organization working elsewhere in 2025.
Housecleaning
A 2-8 record puts the Giants at the bottom of the NFC East and near the bottom of the league. That could mean the end for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen.
Since taking over in 2022, things have gotten worse every year under Daboll. He led the team to a playoff appearance in his first season, even beating the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card. However, the Giants haven't returned to the playoffs since, going 6-11 in 2023 and already finding themselves out of the playoff picture this season.
Despite his success working with Josh Allen as the offensive coordinator in Buffalo, Daboll has never turned New York into even an above-average offensive unit. They were 16th in offensive DVOA in 2022, then plummeted to 30th in 2023. They sit 21st in DVOA this season, including 24th in the passing game.
The failure to produce a competent offense will likely put Daboll on the hot seat, but Schoen could also be on his way out with the struggles he's had in roster management.
Jones' contract extension has been viewed as a colossal failure, but his decision to let two of the team's most promising young stars walk in free agency this offseason has Giants fans downright furious.
Xavier McKinney quickly became an All-Pro-caliber safety for the Green Bay Packers in his first season with his new team. He's second in the NFL with six interceptions, with opposing quarterbacks posting a 58.3 passer rating when throwing his way.
Meanwhile, star running back Saquon Barkley left to join one of New York's biggest rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. He's unlocked the Eagles offense, rushing for 1,137 yards and eight touchdowns with another 210 yards and two scores through the air.
Barkley was a superstar in New York, but now he's setting the league on fire with efficiency and explosive plays like this one.
This is a scheduled Saquon Barkley TD tweet actually @saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/zDRIu7hXsv
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 15, 2024
There's still a path to Schoen saving his job, and he might have earned some time by hitting on a couple of draft picks in Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr.
However, with previous first-round picks like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal not living up to expectations, the Giants could decide to find another general manager capable of hitting on blue-chip prospects.
A Quick Turnaround?
The good news for the Giants is that if they decide to clean house, they can quickly turn things around.
On top of a potential new general manager and head coach, the Giants are in position for a top-five draft pick. That would allow whoever is running the team to take a swing on potentially the next franchise quarterback in a prospect like Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, or Jalen Milroe.
A quarterback like Ward could make a lot of sense for the Giants. An off-script playmaker with arm talent and mobility could generate all kinds of explosive plays, especially when throwing to such an electric skill player like Malik Nabers.
The Giants could also bring in a couple of veteran free agents with decent cap space this offseason. According to Over the Cap, the Giants have a projected $42 million in space and could add another $20 million by cutting Jones.
With a top draft pick and some cap space, the Giants could build around stars like Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Nabers to construct a playoff-caliber team in just a few short seasons.
