The New York Giants had a massively disappointing 2023 season, going 6-11 following up their surprising playoff trip in 2022, and quarterback Daniel Jones struggled mightily before suffering two significant injuries. Now, there are a lot of questions for the Giants and general manger Joe Schoen to answer in the 2024 offseason.
After going to the playoffs and winning a game in 2022, the Giants brought back Daniel Jones on a four-year, $160 million contract last offseason, hoping he would build off of the successful season and be the team’s franchise quarterback. Now, there is uncertainty for multiple reasons. The poor play in 2023 was concerning, but so are the injuries.
Daniel Jones suffered a neck injury, then in his first game returning from that, he tore his ACL, ending his year. This meant that in four of the five seasons that Jones has played in the NFL, Jones has missed games due to injury. Even if Jones played like he did in 2022, the injuries and durability are a long-term concern.
There are other holes for Joe Schoen to fill as well with the Giants. Saquon Barkley is yet again a free agent, and it seems like the team will not utilize the franchise tag this time around. Safety Xavier McKinney is a key player who is going to enter the market as well. It would not be a good look for a team that does not have a ton of talent to let Barkley and McKinney walk out of the door.
Still, the biggest question is the quarterback position with the Giants. If the Giants and specifically the regime of Schoen and Brian Daboll want to make it work in the long haul, they will have to figure out the quarterback position. It seems unlikely that Jones is the solution in the long-term, for a variety of reasons.
With the Giants holding the No. 6 pick in the draft, they will be out of range for the top prospects, barring a trade up. There might be an opportunity to make one with the New England Patriots, depending on their approach in the draft. Let’s get into the one trade the Giants should complete this offseason.
Giants trade 2 2nd-round picks, 2 3rd-round picks, 5th-round pick to Patriots for No. 3 pick in 2024 NFL Draft (or to Arizona Cardinals for No. 4 pick in 2024 NFL Draft)
The first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft are held by the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders. The Bears are by all indications going to select Caleb Williams. It would make sense for the Giants to send a haul to the Bears to try to trade up to the No. 1 spot, but it does not seem like Chicago plans on passing on a quarterback prospect that many view as generational.
The Commanders are a division rival of the Giants, making a potential trade harder to agree to, and they are most likely going to select a quarterback as well, whether that be Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.
That leaves the Patriots, who very well could select a young quarterback as well, and that probably is the most likely outcome. However, there has been buzz that New England will be in the market for a veteran quarterback. Not to mention, the Patriots will likely be left picking whomever is left over after the Bears and Commanders pick. Maybe the Patriots do not believe in the quarterback options that are left for them, and they decide to trade back instead.
If that happens, Schoen and the Giants should pounce. If not, the Giants should call up the Cardinals. Even if quarterbacks go off the board in the first three picks, there is an intriguing prospect in JJ McCarthy, who while he did not throw a high volume of passes, has good physical traits and ran an offense that is more similar to an NFL system than anyone else.
Trading up with the Cardinals would make sense in that case. If Daboll decides he likes someone like McCarthy, or one of the other options, like Maye or Daniels become available, the Giants should do what it takes to move up. Daboll was brought in to pick a young quarterback prospect he likes and mold him. It’s about time he is given that chance, before it is too late.
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