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Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The door is now cracked opened. New York Giants coach Brian Daboll tried to slam it shut after last week’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but it won’t ever sit flush again — not now that he benched quarterback Daniel Jones in the fourth quarter Sunday.
Daboll went into the locker room after a 28-3 loss and immediately declared Jones his starter moving forward. He told the players much of the same of what he said publicly, he was just trying to create a “spark.”
There lingers the possibility that the next time Jones struggles (perhaps as early as Monday night on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers), Daboll might do it again and call for backup Drew Lock.
The Giants (2-5) are in no-man’s land with their season and quarterback situation. While Jones reclaimed the starting job, it didn’t appear he was given any assurances about remaining the starter.
“I think after the game, he said to the team that I was the starter going forward,” Jones said. “So, I’m going through the week preparing to play and play well. But in terms of his plans, it’s a better question for him.”
At this point, remaining the starter for the rest of the season is in question.
Daboll was asked directly if he felt the need to provide Jones any reassurances.
“Yeah, I would say we’ve had conversations,” he said. “Those would be private conversations, and our focus is on getting ready to play Pittsburgh.”
So … no? It certainly wasn’t a yes.
After the Steelers, the Giants have a short week before facing the resurgent Washington Commanders. Finally, they play the one-win Carolina Panthers in Germany before a bye week.
A lot of factors could come into play during that time. How is Jones playing? Has the locker room reached its boiling point? What about the injury guarantee?
Jones has $23 million guaranteed next season for injury only. It becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year in 2025 if he’s unable to pass a physical. Owner John Mara stated his public support for general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll earlier this week, but he wouldn’t touch any questions on Jones or the injury guarantee.
“I’m not going to get into that,” Mara said.
It seems obvious the Giants are preparing to draft a quarterback next offseason. In the meantime, they have some options with Jones the remainder of the season.
Option 1: Play it Out
This seems unlikely at this point, but there are 10 games left in the season and Schoen and Daboll seem to believe Jones gives them the best chance to win. Maybe Jones goes on some kind of exceptional run? Give him until the end of the season to show what he can do with a No. 1 receiver like rookie Malik Nabers.
Jones proved in 2022 he can play at a high level, finishing sixth in the NFL with a 62.9 QBR. It’s still in there somewhere, and if Daboll really is a QB whisperer, shouldn’t he be able to pull some of it out of Jones?
It’s also not as if Lock blew anyone away with his play this summer or when he replaced Jones on Sunday. He went 3-of-8 passing for six yards with two fumbles in a full quarter of action.
Option 2: Take it quarter to quarter, week by week
This might be the most likely scenario. Jones was already benched once. Why not again? Can’t fully close that door now. If he is playing poorly in Pittsburgh, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see Lock enter the game. It seems only a matter of time now that the Giants move on from Jones. It has been 5½ years. The locker room seems to understand.
“We all know at the end of the day you’ve got to produce or else somebody else is going to be out there in your job,” wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said this week.
Option 3: Make this week Jones’ last chance
One last hurrah. That is what Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers could be. If Jones plays well, he remains the starter. That much seems clear. If he doesn’t, turn to Lock or Tommy DeVito next week against the Commanders.
At that point, the Jones era will be over barring a barrage of injuries. It will at least give Giants fans a bit of intrigue and reason to watch with nine games left in the season.
Option 4: Ride it out until the bye week
This is probably the second-most likely option aside from taking it week by week. It might just be better to use the extra time during the bye to transition to a new quarterback.
If the Giants lose two of three, and the offense, which is averaging a putrid 14.1 points, continues to struggle, Daboll will need to do something. This is the easy fallback.
Making a full-time change at quarterback will be a last-gasp option to prove it was Jones, not Daboll’s offense, and salvage some optics heading into the offseason.
Option 5: Let him play until playoff elimination
This is the scenario that probably best suits ownership, which doesn’t believe in tanking or not optimizing the team’s chances to win meaningless games. This would give the Giants their best chance to win games for most of the season before merging their desire to win with a seemingly obvious business decision.
They can’t risk Jones getting hurt and having to guarantee that $23 million if they are already out of playoff contention and playing strictly for pride.
Get Jones out, put him in a protective shell and give Lock or DeVito an opportunity to prove themselves the final few weeks of the season. That could keep everyone happy.