Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Joe Schoen for Giving Daniel Jones the Bank By Hank Indictor
After missing the last three games due to a neck injury, Daniel Jones returned to the game against the Raiders this past Sunday. However, the return was short-lived. Jones would once again be injured, this time tearing his ACL. And with his season now finished, coupled with regression while healthy, many fans are understandably questioning the decision to extend Daniel Jones to a 4-year contract for $160 million. On the surface, it does seem like this was a mistake. However, let's all remember that hindsight is 20-20. Let's remember that there are plenty of Giants fans who will tell you they were happy when he was extended. I will throw myself into this group, and if you remember the 2022 season, it's easy to understand why this made sense. However, there's also more to it than just that season. So, without further ado, let me present another episode of Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame.
5. The curse of Dave Gettleman: No, I'm not going to blame him for drafting Jones. And looking back, I don't think you really can. He could have waited to take him until 11 picks later, but let's remember the Giants were in dire need of a QB. After all, Eli's best days were behind him. Looking back at that draft, Jones was the best quarterback to come out of it, which is low-hanging fruit. And no, I won't accept any arguments for Kyler Murray, injuries notwithstanding; look at the homework clause, which tells you all you need to know about his makeup. Besides, there were several moves that Gettleman made that were worse! And the Giants are still trying to clean up that mess. And a big part of the mess was the sabotaging of Daniel Jones.
4. Leadership: Say what you want about how Daniel Jones has performed on the field, but there's no question he has a great head on his shoulders. Jones is a man who has gained the respect of most, if not all, of his teammates, which is essential when it comes to a franchise quarterback. Not only was a homework clause never even considered, but this guy would've had every reason to complain and ask to be traded. That he didn't do any of that says a lot about him. Even John Mara admitted at the end of 2021 that the Giants did everything in their power to sabotage him. Certain intangibles are just difficult to replace, and after the improvement shown in the 2022 season, imagine losing all of that!
3. The 2022 turnaround: Last year was Daniel Jones's best season since becoming the starting quarterback. He threw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only five interceptions, and his interception percentage was a mere 1.1%, among the lowest in the NFL. And if you want to point out the low Touchdown Pass total, I will also point out that he did have a receiving core that, at best, was mid. Remember, Isaiah Hodgins was probably the best one they had, and not only did he arrive in Midseason, but he wouldn't have been a #1 receiver had he played on any other team (maybe three if he were an Eagle). It also helped that they could rely on solid running from Saquon Barkley, too. Still, more importantly, it was apparent that Jones fit into Brian Daboll's system better than Joe Judge's. Ultimately, he not only got the Giants into the playoffs, but he would even lead them to a victory against the Vikings in the Wild Card Round. This was a prove-it year for Daniel Jones, too, because they didn't pick up the last year of his contract. Therefore, it begs the question: had the Giants not overachieved, would we even be having this conversation? However, let's remember another reason why this is a discussion.
2. Value of a Quarterback: If you've followed football at all in this day and age, you know that it's a league that's very much centered around the Quarterback. After all, look at how they each get paid. Daniel Jones might be in the top 10 regarding the highest salary, but several other QBs have been signed to contracts with an AAV over $100,000. Tied with Daniel Jones in terms of hugest salary are Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott. And how about some of the players that are getting paid more than Jones: Russell Wilson (5 years $242 mil.), Kyler Murray (5 years $230.5 mil.), and DeShaun Watson (5 years $230 mil.). Now, whether these guys all deserve to be paid in the Top 10 is an entirely different discussion, but if you look at some of the higher-paid names other than the ones I mentioned (Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts) while looking at a guy like Trevor Lawrence who has yet to sign his big boy contract then what that means is that Quarterbacks are arguably the highest valued positions in the NFL. And these guys don't grow on trees either, so if a team feels that a QB has a chance, then they don't want to run the risk of letting them walk. Therefore, it makes sense that the Giants extended Daniel Jones. In addition, the contract is only four years, so the Giants ultimately decided they needed a new QB. They could still keep Jones for another year, start him, and then move on from him once the new QB learns the system. But I'm getting ahead of myself. A team's championship window can only last as long as the QB is healthy, and that's why they are getting paid more and more money these days. But if you know your history about the Giants, it might give you another understanding of why the team made the move that they did.
1. The transition from Phil Simms to Eli Manning: When Phil Simms retired in 1993, it took a while before the Giants could settle on their next franchise QB. Replacing Simms over the remainder of the '90s were Dave Brown, Kent Graham, and Danny Kannell, neither of whom would provide the team with much stability over the next five years. Although Kerry Collins was pretty good during his years as the Giants' starting Quarterback (late 1999-2003), leading them to Super Bowl 35 in 2000, he was also a bridge QB at best, and so after their disastrous 4-12 season in 2003, he also needed to be replaced. The Giants would sign Kurt Warner soon after, but that was only to mentor the QB that was waiting in the wings that they had traded up to acquire in the draft. I am talking about Eli Manning, you know, the guy who twice beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl and, in the process, broke pretty much every QB record in New York Giants history. Eli Manning gave them the stability they needed, starting all but one game in a nearly 15-year stretch before giving way to Daniel Jones. Knowing how long it took to find a franchise quarterback when Simms retired, it makes sense why they wanted to lock up Daniel Jones. True, Jones will probably be gone within a few years, if not sooner, but as I've discussed before, Quarterbacks don't just grow on trees, and once the good ones leave, they can be difficult to replace. And if this truly is the last we see of Jones, best of luck to whoever replaces him, whether it be Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, or any of the top prospects should the Giants be in that position come Draft Day.