The New York Giants overachieved for a lot of the 2022 NFL season, bettering from a 4-13 report and firing head coach Joe Judge a yr in the past to successful 9 video games, making the playoffs, and beating the Minnesota Vikings within the first spherical final week below new head coach Brian Daboll. Had the Giants season ended there, maybe the franchise would keep the course with quarterback Daniel Jones, as a result of by most accounts the crew was lastly trending in the precise path after nearly a decade of ineptitude.
But New York’s season is ending on something however a excessive observe after Saturday evening’s 38-7 divisional spherical loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and Jones performed each bit as unhealthy as he did for the primary three years of his profession. At the top of the common season, a brand new contract for Daniel Jones appeared inevitable.
After tonight that’s not so clear. Will the Giants ever be adequate with Daniel Jones or will Daboll, the coach most frequently credited with serving to develop quarterback Josh Allen into an MVP candidate with the Buffalo Bills, need the franchise to exit and discover his personal QB choice?
What a sequence: Daniel Jones runs out of bounds to lose 5 yards on 2nd down, throws an incomplete move on third down, after which Daboll punts on 4th and 6 with 13 minutes left within the sport down 21.
— Shane Haff (@HAFFnHAFF_TPL) January 22, 2023
That’s a query that may dominate inside and exterior discussions as New York approaches the free company interval as Jones is ready to be a free agent, and so is star operating again Saquon Barkley, himself coming off of a career-high in speeding makes an attempt and yards in 2022 after three seasons of accidents.
Have both one (or each) performed their ultimate video games with the New York Giants?
With a projected NFL wage cap of $225 million in 2023, the Giants are set to have the third-most area of any crew within the league. A franchise tag for Jones is projected to price slightly over $32 million subsequent season, which might eat roughly 75% of their present spending quantity for 2023. Only 9 quarterbacks within the NFL are set to make greater than that subsequent season and although Jones led the NFL with the bottom price of interceptions (1.1%), he was solely twenty eighth in his price of touchdowns (3.2%).
Jones completed with simply 15 landing passes, fewer than one per sport, however he did rush for 708 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Those forgiving of the 25-year-old quarterback will level to New York’s weak supporting forged. The Giants have made enormous errors at extensive receiver, signing Kenny Golladay to a market-leading contract in free company and drafting Kadarius Toney with the twentieth general decide in 2021. Golladay had six catches for 81 yards throughout all the season. Toney was traded to the Chiefs final yr after solely enjoying in 12 video games with New York.
And proper deal with Evan Neal, a top-10 decide in 2022, was usually cited as one of many worst rookie offensive linemen within the league this yr.
But if the Giants must put a greater supporting forged round Daniel Jones in an effort to make him profitable, how will they be capable to try this if additionally they pay Jones like a franchise quarterback? A protracted-term contract will make Jones inexpensive in 2023 and provides New York a greater likelihood to maintain different free brokers (like Barkley) in addition to going out to seek out higher receivers and offensive linemen in the marketplace. The Giants may minimize bait with a few of their disappointing additions, similar to Golladay, to open up slightly more room.
However, a long-term contract can also be a long-term contract. Can the Giants justify paying Jones the potential $30 to $35 million wage for a quarterback who has thrown 36 mixed touchdowns over the past three seasons; 5 fewer than what NFL chief Patrick Mahomes had in 2022 alone, just one greater than Joe Burrow and former Daboll mentee Allen’s season totals.
Or ought to the Giants think about rewarding and constructing across the 26-year-old Saquon Barkley, now lastly wholesome and productive once more? A franchise tag for a operating again is just projected round $8.9 million and New York would have cash left over different outgoing free brokers. And perhaps additionally a brand new quarterback.
The Giants shocked lots of people by going 9-7-1 after which beating the Vikings within the playoffs. That’s cause for them to think about transferring ahead with the identical gamers who helped them try this. Unfortunately, the Giants additionally went 1-5-1 towards groups within the NFC East, together with Saturday’s 31-point loss to an Eagles crew that additionally beat them 48-22 and 22-16 within the common season.
That’s cause for them to think about transferring in a special path.