The question was phrased very specifically so there was no confusion.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was asked twice Sunday if he was “fully cleared” by the start of training camp on Wednesday and answered in the affirmative both times without hesitation.
Eight months after undergoing season-ending ACL surgery on his right knee last November, Jones said he doesn’t expect to be limited on the first day of practice.
“I feel good. I’m ready to go,” Jones said at a camp for kids at Hoboken High School. “I’m ready to go to training camp. I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”
Asked again if that meant he was “totally clear” medically, Jones replied: “Yeah, I think I’m OK.”
And so begins a crucial season for the Giants and their $160 million quarterback.
Jones led the Giants to the second round of the playoffs in 2022 before appearing in just six games last year as the team went a disappointing 6-11.
General manager Joe Sean said on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that the Giants “haven’t given up on” Jones and that “this is Daniel’s year.”
The Giants declined to trade or draft a quarterback despite Jones’ offseason uncertainty, instead taking wide receiver Malik Neighbors with the sixth overall pick in the draft.
The team also added two new starters on the offensive line, signing running back Devin Singletary after Saquon Barkley left the team in free agency.
“I’m excited,” Jones said. “We have some new guys and we’re a different team than we were last year, so it’s just a matter of figuring out what kind of team we have, growing, building teamwork and pulling in the same direction.”
“So I’m excited. I think there’s a lot of work to be done, but I’m excited about where we’re headed.”
The 27-year-old quarterback said on the “Simms Complete” podcast last week that he’s “not having any issues, it’s going pretty well” during his rehab.
“At this point, I’m running, I’m cutting, I’m doing everything I need to do,” Jones told father-son duo Phil and Matt Sims.
Jones, who has a salary cap hit of $47.8 million this season, hosted about 500 kids at a FlexWork youth camp Sunday morning in Hoboken, where he currently lives.
“I think it’s a nice, special opportunity to spend time with the kids,” Jones said. “I remember doing this in the summers as a kid, me and my brother would go to all the different camps and sports, so it’s fun to come here.”
