It’s true that Daniel Jones was watching the first round of the NFL Draft last month.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen, how it was going to unfold,” he said after taking the field with Giants players Thursday for the team’s third practice.
This is the part where Jones veers into another lane.
“Like everybody else, I was just watching and waiting,” Jones said.
Like everyone else?
How about being different from everyone else?
Certainly, there were many Giants fans and insiders around the league eager to know who the Giants would select with the sixth overall pick.
Or, more accurately, what positions will they target?
But unlike anyone else, no one hinged more on who the Giants selected than Jones.
no one.
It’s no secret that the Giants are interested in a quarterback in this year’s draft, and they offered a 2025 first-round pick to try and make a trade with the Patriots to move up to No. 3 to acquire Drake Maye.
The Patriots refused to back down and made Maye their own.
Still, when the Giants held the pick, they had quarterback prospects J.J. McCarthy, Michael Pennis Jr. and Bo Nix on the board.
Jones didn’t know what the Giants’ front office or coaching staff was thinking, but he’s a smart guy and he knew there was a definite chance the team would draft a quarterback in the first round.
If the Giants go in that direction, a rookie would be the plan to take Jones’ job.
Maybe not in 2024, but at some point, in the not too distant future.
Jones, fresh off reconstructive knee surgery, knew what the impact of the Giants’ quarterback move would have on his career.
“No, I wasn’t crazy about it,” Jones said in a rare flash of sincerity, “but I guess at this level it makes sense.”
The Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Neighbors.
Instead of adding a player to replace Jones, they added a player with the skill set to help him.
“We’re excited to get Malik,” Jones said. “I’ve watched some video of him from college and he’s a dynamic, dynamic player. We’re excited to get him. It’s been fun working with him.”
Yes, Jones was able to work with Neighbors this spring.
For now, Jones has been given permission to conduct individual drills and throw passes to receivers without any defense on the field.
Being able to take part in 7-on-7 drills is a big step for him.
“He looks good,” coach Brian Daboll said. “We’re not going to put him in varsity games, but he’s making progress so we’re putting him in some 7-on-7 games.”
“We’re going to get better every day and as he gets better he’ll play more.”
Drew Lock, signed as the backup quarterback, worked the 11-on-11 portion of the practice.
That’s the next step for Jones, and it will likely come when training camp opens in late July.
Lock is learning an entirely new playbook and is unlikely to be better able to run the offense than Jones, who is in his third year in Daboll’s system and working with offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and quarterbacks coach Shay Tierney.
Lock linked up with Neighbors deep down the field in an 11-on-11 team match.
“He did a good job gathering information,” Daboll said of Lock.
Jones looked OK in 7-on-7 drills, moving his feet, stepping up to throw and not being asked to roll out much. He was not wearing any kind of brace on his right knee, which underwent surgery on Nov. 22 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“I feel good,” Jones said. “I feel really good. The rehab process is going well so far. It feels good to do all that stuff.”
The plan is to free Jones up for training camp and have him practice with the full team.
He’s due to receive $36 million in salary in 2024, but the guaranteed portion of his four-year, $160 million contract ($82 million) expires after this season.
There’s no denying that the Giants could try to pick high in this year’s draft to acquire a player to replace him in 2025.
“I don’t think you should take anything personally at this level,” Jones said. “I don’t really know, and you don’t really know, exactly how it happened or what happened. At the end of the day, I’m just focused on playing good football.”
And, perhaps, the focus was on showing the Giants that they don’t need to be so concerned with acquiring a quarterback.
“I’ve always been motivated,” Jones said. “I think I’m a really motivated guy, so that’s one of the reasons, but I’m excited about adding Malik and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
