NFL training camp starts towards the end of July, which means players around the league are getting their last bits of offseason work in before the real work of trying to make the roster begins.
For certain players, this season is what some may call “Make or Break,” meaning they need to put together a productive year or they could be looking for employment elsewhere at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
We’ll highlight those players for the Giants, starting today with quarterback Daniel Jones.
2023 Stats
– Six starts (1-5 record)
– 909 passing yards with a completion rate of 67.5 percent
– Two touchdown passes with six interceptions and four fumbles
– 206 rushing yards and one touchdown
Why Make or Break?
The Giants committed to Jones ahead of the 2023 season with a four-year contract extension worth up to $160 million. However, a disastrous season has people within the Giants organization reconsidering whether he’s their quarterback of the future after all.
In the first five games, the Giants were completely overmatched, winning just once as they came back from a heavy deficit to edge a lowly Cardinals team that was without their starting quarterback. Jones then missed a couple of games with a neck injury and, on his return, suffered a torn ACL which ruled him out for the rest of the season and will disrupt his preparation for the year ahead.
Some analysts believed the team might draft a new quarterback with a high pick in April’s draft, but the Giants ultimately opted to select wide receiver Malik Nabers, so Jones will get another chance to prove himself in 2024 with better personnel around him. However, the Giants also hedged their bets by bringing in another former first-round pick when they signed Drew Lock in free agency.
What will break it?
Jones needs to restore confidence in his ability to be worthy of the big-money deal he was given to be the team’s leader. If he can’t play at a high level, or misses more time due to injuries, then the Giants might start to look towards the cheaper Lock and consider drafting another prospect next April.
There is no guaranteed money in Jones’ contract after 2024, so it will be easy enough for the team to either cut ties with him or encourage him to restructure his deal to something more team-friendly if he underperforms again.
If Jones plays quite well but the team isn’t winning, that might not be enough to secure his Giants’ future as he has cap hits totaling over $100 million due to hit the cap in the next two years after this one.
What will make it?
In order to restore that faith in himself as the guy, Jones needs to start winning games again. His numbers were good, but not elite, in 2022, but the fact he led the Giants to a winning record and into the second round of the postseason is the main thing that convinced the front office that he was their guy.
In 2023, when the team was struggling, Jones arguably wasn’t the main problem. With the offensive line in disarray due to a series of injuries, he was running for his life and could be said to have performed relatively well considering the circumstances. However, he would need to take his game to another level to prove he can be someone who can elevate the team in tough situations and overcome adversity to remain competitive.
Jones doesn’t necessarily need to play at a Pro Bowl level to justify remaining as the team’s starter beyond 2024, but he needs to at least play well enough that the Giants are competitive every week and in the postseason mix all the way to the end of the season. If they drop out of contention, or start to suffer heavy losses, New York might be compelled to cut their losses and hit the reset button at this position.
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