The New York Giants are still standing behind Daniel Jones despite the serious knee injury that has put his immediate future on hold.
During the team’s bye week, Giants general manager Joe Schoen made it clear that the organization continues to view Jones as its starting quarterback when he is healthy. The statement comes at a difficult time for the quarterback, who recently underwent surgery after tearing the ACL in his right knee.
Jones suffered the injury earlier in the month against the Las Vegas Raiders. The surgery followed last week, leaving the Giants with a major question at the most important position on the field.
The organization, however, does not appear ready to move away from Jones.
“The expectation is that when Daniel is healthy, he will be our starting quarterback,” Schoen said.
At the same time, the Giants know they cannot simply wait and hope everything works out. Jones’ recovery could extend into the summer or beyond, and there is no guarantee he will be ready for Week 1.
That uncertainty means New York has to consider other options.
Daniel Jones: Giants Still See Him as Their Quarterback
The most important message from the Giants is that Jones remains their quarterback when healthy.
That does not mean the team can ignore the situation created by his injury. Instead, the organization appears to be taking two approaches at once.
The Giants still believe in Jones, while also preparing themselves for the possibility that he may not be available when the next season begins.
Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract with the Giants during the offseason. The deal included $35.5 million guaranteed for the following year, while the team also had a relatively reasonable path out of the contract after the 2024 season.
His injury makes the situation more complicated.
The Giants invested heavily in Jones after his strong 2022 season, when he helped lead the team to a playoff victory and finished sixth in the NFL in QBR.
That season gave the organization confidence that Jones could become the long-term answer at quarterback.
His 2023 campaign, however, was much more difficult.
Jones Was Struggling Before the Injury
Before his ACL injury, Jones had not been able to reproduce the level of football he showed during the previous season.
In six starts this year, he threw two touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Those numbers were a sharp contrast to the quarterback who helped the Giants win 10 games and a road playoff game the previous season.
Schoen acknowledged that Jones and the team had struggled but maintained that the Giants still believe what happened in 2022 was not simply a one-season fluke.
The general manager pointed back to what Jones accomplished during the previous campaign.
He won 10 games, helped the Giants reach the playoffs and then won a road playoff game. For the organization, those accomplishments still matter.
Schoen also pointed toward the preseason and the belief that the team simply got off to a poor start and could not recover.
The Giants now have to determine what comes next while Jones works through his rehabilitation.
Daniel Jones: ACL Recovery Creates Uncertainty
Jones was only five days removed from surgery when the Giants discussed his situation.
At that stage, the team did not have a firm recovery timeline.
The Giants expected to have a better understanding of Jones’ timetable early in the offseason. Until then, there is too much uncertainty to assume he will be ready for the beginning of the season.
An ACL injury can require a long rehabilitation process, and the Giants have to plan for different possibilities.
Schoen was direct about the situation.
The team will have to address the quarterback position at some point because there is no guarantee Jones will be available for Week 1.
That does not necessarily mean the Giants are replacing Jones.
Instead, it means they need insurance.
Giants Could Look to Free Agency or the Draft
New York has several ways it could address the quarterback position.
Free agency is one possibility.
The NFL Draft is another.
The Giants could also determine that the answer is already somewhere on their roster, although the current situation makes that less certain.
Schoen said the team would eventually have to do something at quarterback, whether that means free agency or the draft.
The Giants were projected to have the fourth overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft at the time of the discussion. ESPN Analytics gave them a 0.6 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick and a 97.8 percent chance of selecting inside the top 10.
That puts New York in an interesting position.
A team selecting near the top of the draft naturally has the opportunity to consider a quarterback.
Schoen did not rule it out.
Daniel Jones: First-Round Quarterback Still Possible
The Giants general manager also discussed studying quarterbacks who were selected near the top of the 2018 NFL Draft.
That group became an interesting example for the organization because the Giants could examine where those quarterbacks ended up, how many were still starting, how many were playing on winning teams and how many were already out of the league.
That kind of review suggests the Giants were at least thinking seriously about the long-term implications of selecting another quarterback early.
Schoen emphasized that the Giants would take the best player available.
If the best player for their team happened to be a quarterback, they would not avoid the position simply because Jones was still considered their starter when healthy.
The situation therefore leaves the door open.
New York can believe in Jones and still draft a quarterback.
Those two ideas do not necessarily contradict each other.
Tommy DeVito Has Changed the Conversation
While Jones recovers and veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor deals with an injury of his own, undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito has been given an opportunity.
And he has taken advantage of it.
DeVito had won two of his three starts at the time of the discussion, giving the Giants another storyline at quarterback.
His statistics were also encouraging.
Through his first three starts, DeVito had thrown six touchdown passes and only one interception.
That type of production naturally gets people’s attention, especially when it comes from an undrafted rookie who arrived at the organization with relatively modest expectations.
The Giants had not committed to DeVito as their starter for the team’s return from the bye week.
The next matchup was scheduled to be a Monday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers, and head coach Brian Daboll said the team would discuss the situation.
Still, DeVito had done enough to put himself into the conversation.
DeVito Has Earned Respect Inside the Organization
Schoen praised DeVito for the progress he had made since joining the Giants.
The quarterback arrived in May as an undrafted free agent and had to work his way into a meaningful role.
According to Schoen, DeVito’s development was a reflection of his work ethic and willingness to buy into the coaching process.
He had been working with quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, and the Giants believed he was beginning to show real improvement.
One of the biggest positives was his ability to protect the football.
DeVito had taken care of the ball during his recent starts, while also displaying confidence in the huddle.
Schoen described him as having swagger and presence, qualities that teammates appeared to respond to.
That is important for a young quarterback.
Statistics matter, but leadership and the ability to earn the trust of teammates can also determine whether a player gets another opportunity.
Tyrod Taylor’s Situation Adds Another Question
The Giants also had veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor under contract during the season, but his future was less certain because he was set to become a free agent.
His injury further complicated New York’s quarterback situation.
With Taylor unavailable and Jones recovering from surgery, DeVito suddenly became one of the most important players in the Giants’ offense.
That is a remarkable change for an undrafted rookie who entered the season without the same expectations placed on highly drafted quarterbacks.
It also gives the Giants more information heading into the offseason.
If DeVito continues to perform well, the organization will have to consider what his future role could look like.
Daniel Jones: The Giants Have a Difficult Decision Ahead
The Giants now face a quarterback situation with several moving parts.
Jones remains the preferred starter when healthy.
His contract indicates the level of financial commitment the organization made to him.
His 2022 season gives the Giants a reason to believe he can still be effective.
But the ACL injury creates a major question about when he will be ready to return.
His recent performance also creates another issue.
Before getting hurt, Jones had struggled during the season, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in his six starts.
On top of that, he had already missed three games because of a neck injury. It was the second neck injury of his young career.
That injury history makes building around him more complicated.
The Giants therefore cannot simply assume everything will return to normal once Jones is medically cleared.
They have to prepare for multiple outcomes.
The Giants Still Have Faith in Jones
Despite all of the uncertainty, the organization’s public message remains supportive.
Schoen repeatedly emphasized his belief in Jones as a person and pointed toward the quarterback’s achievements during the previous season.
The Giants saw a quarterback who won 10 games, won a road playoff game and showed enough improvement to earn a major contract.
They believe that version of Jones was real.
Whether he can return to that level after his ACL injury is another question.
That answer will take time.
For now, the Giants appear to be taking a cautious approach. They will continue to support Jones while also preparing for the possibility that they need another quarterback.
What Happens Next for Daniel Jones?
Jones’ immediate priority is recovery.
The Giants expect to have a clearer idea of his timeline early in the offseason, but the team cannot wait until then to begin planning.
Free agency, the draft and the existing roster all remain possible sources for quarterback help.
The emergence of DeVito has also made the situation more interesting.
A young undrafted quarterback who has already shown an ability to protect the football and make plays could earn a larger role, even after Jones eventually returns.
That does not mean DeVito has replaced Jones.
It simply means the Giants now have more information than they did before the injury.
For Jones, the road ahead is about proving that he can recover fully and eventually return to the player the Giants believed in when they handed him a $160 million contract.
For the Giants, it is about making sure they are prepared for whatever happens.
They can continue believing Daniel Jones is their starting quarterback while also searching for another option.
That may ultimately be the smartest approach.
Jones’ ACL injury has created uncertainty, but it has not erased the organization’s belief in him. The Giants still see him as their quarterback when healthy.
Now they have to build a plan that works whether he returns for Week 1, needs more time or faces another setback.
The coming months will reveal how much confidence the team truly has in Jones, and whether the Giants decide to add another quarterback through free agency, the draft or an unexpected development already sitting on their roster.