‘He’s coming off three injuries in two years’: Giants GM opens up about Daniel Jones

Giants general manager Joe Schoen acknowledged during a Tuesday appearance on the “PFT Live” program that Daniel Jones’ worrisome injury history could impact how he handles New York’s quarterback situation this offseason.

“The reality is he’s coming off three injuries in two years,” Schoen said about Jones, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “That’s facts. It’s something we’ve gotta consider. We’re gonna address it through free agency and if there’s an opportunity in the draft — we’re gonna look at every position, not only quarterback because we do have needs across the roster.”

Jones has dealt with some sort of physical setback every season since he entered the 2019 NFL Draft. He has missed a total of nine games since the start of the 2021 campaign through 2023 due to what he insisted were different neck-related issues, and he most recently suffered a torn ACL on Nov. 5.

Jones’s ability to make plays with his legs helped him guide the Giants to a playoff berth and a road postseason win during the 2022 season. According to StatMuse, his 1,914 rushing yards since Week 1 of the 2019 campaign are the sixth-most among quarterbacks over that period.

Analysts believe Schoen would have to trade the sixth overall pick this year and multiple second-round choices to move up in the 2024 draft order for a top quarterback prospect. However, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports predicted in a mock draft published on Tuesday that North Carolina Tar Heels signal-caller Drake Maye will be on the board when the Giants are on the clock at No. 6 this spring.

“Daniel’s trending in the right direction right now,” Schoen said about Jones’ recovery. “He started throwing two weeks ago. He’s doing it stationary, he’s not moving yet. There’s some hope that he may be able to do something in the spring, 7-on-7, and the hope is that he’ll be ready for [training] camp.”

Schoen can escape the four-year contract Jones signed last March as soon as after the 2024 season. That reality coupled with Jones’ injury history could cause Schoen to either bring in some summer competition for the QB1 gig or go all-in on landing Jones’ eventual replacement via the draft.