He knew what was going to happen. And he didn’t want anything to do with it, so he walked away.
It was officially announced on April 28, 2004. The Giants released their No. 1 quarterback, Kerry Collins, after he refused to accept a pay cut to remain with the team. At one point, he started 67 consecutive games. Four days earlier, then-general manager Ernie Accorsi pulled off a bold and bold draft-day trade to acquire Eli Manning from the Chargers. The plan the Giants wanted to implement was to keep Collins, a proven veteran, in the starting lineup until rookie Manning was ready to take over.
Collins was 31 years old and had no interest in the interim quarterback role.
“Unless this guy is a total failure, his life expectancy is limited,” Collins told the Post from his home in Tennessee. “When you get drafted this high, everyone wants to see him on the field and see what he can do. We’re counting down the days. That’s just the way it is.”
That won’t be the case for Daniel Jones if the Giants draft a quarterback high in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night. Jones is guaranteed $36 million for the 2024 season, so he can’t be cut.
General manager Joe Schon has said multiple times that Jones is expected to be the Opening Day starter if he’s healthy, meaning he’s coming back from knee surgery. But with a highly touted rookie quarterback on the field, Jones’ starting meter will start to dwindle and run out sooner or later.
If the Giants go in this direction, they need to be prepared for the chaos that ensues.
There’s nothing more distracting to a team than having two quarterbacks for one job. Wait until Jones looks rusty in a training camp practice, misses an open receiver in the season opener, or — heaven forbid — throws the ball for an interception. From the moment the Giants take the quarterback at No. 6 and the game ends, Jones will be in control of the starting position. It is almost always an irrevocable command: “Your time is coming to an end.”
Not that this is particularly new or unfair. Sure, you could argue that Jones had five years to prove himself and he wasn’t able to do it for various reasons that were no fault of his own.
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2019, has benefited from this dynamic in the past, as he was transferred that season after just two games in which Jones played and Manning missed. Since then, Jones has become a DJ production with a clear backup in the quarterback room. Colt McCoy. Mike Glennon. Jake Fromm. Tyrod Taylor. Tommy DeVito. Everyone is on the scene in case of an emergency.
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Even if the rookie was originally No. 3 on the depth chart behind Jones and backup Drew Lock, adding a first-round pick to the mix disrupts that dynamic. If the Giants actually acquire a player in a trade, everything goes crazy. Parting with draft assets always creates pressure to get players on the field. If that trade up yields Drake Maye, Jones could start looking to get out of his apartment lease. JJ McCarthy might buy Jones some more time.
Brian Daboll will have a lot of questions from quarterbacks, and he won’t enjoy being bombarded every day. Jones knows he will start but not finish, so it will be difficult for him to remain optimistic. Even if he tries to downplay his presence, the rookie will be pursued. Because everyone knows he’s next in line. Teammates will tire of picking sides for newcomers and providing analysis of stacked contests.
Collins led the Giants to the Super Bowl, but he had no chance of holding off the Eli Express. Kurt Warner, who had a Super Bowl win on his resume, retired after nine games in a row, signing a contract to do what Collins wouldn’t do.
Collins played eight more seasons in the NFL after the Giants sent him packing. Manning won two Super Bowls, was the MVP, and is on the precipice of becoming a Hall of Famer after a 16-year stay.
“Hearing Ernie’s story, he felt like Eli was the guy who could do what he did, and he was right,” Collins said. “Credit to him for making that decision and credit to Eli for his career.”
Still, it stung.
“This is basically saying, ‘We don’t believe in you anymore, we’re going to bring in someone else,'” Collins said. “If that happens, Daniel will turn professional and do what he has to do, but he knows that he will get out of it at some point. There will be some point soon.”
Warnings of upcoming turmoil don’t mean the Giants should avoid starting a quarterback. However, you should be prepared to fasten your seatbelt.
