After Daniel Jones' disastrous season, Joe Schoen is keeping all his options open

MOBILE, Ala. — The Giants believe in Daniel Jones. They trust he’ll be ready for the beginning of training camp and be their starter when the regular season begins. They hope he’ll return to the player he was two years ago — the one who led the Giants to a victory over the Vikings in the playoffs and earned a $160 million contract extension.

But there’s no promise that will happen. Which is why Joe Schoen– as he prepares to make his pick in this quarterback-rich draft – is keeping all of his options open.

Yes, that includes selecting a new passer.

“We’ll take a good player at six,” the GM said from the Senior Bowl.

The quarterback Schoen inherited and then paid is not the one readying for the 2024 season. There were performance concerns with Jones previously, yes, which is why the Giants declined his fifth-year option, but he seemed to eradicate those in 2022. He completed 67.2 percent of his passes and threw for 3,205 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 708 yards and seven scores.

That feels so, so long ago.

Jones was a disaster last season, going 1-5 as a starter with a quarterback rating of 70.5 thanks to an alarming six interceptions. Worse: His injury is written on a red flag. He’s had two neck injuries and is coming off a torn ACL.

That’s not a player you can rely on — not in the short-or long-term. That’s a player you need to seriously consider replacing. Schoen must be ready to take a quarterback if he believes there is a franchise option at No. 6, or within striking distance if he trades up to No. 4. Without a moment’s hesitation. Ownership must allow him.

He’s ready. He has the clearance to do what he needs.

“Where we are,” Schoen said, “We’re in a good spot at six.”

The Giants were a playoff team in 2022. They finished 6-11 this past season. They’re somewhere in the middle of ascending and rebuilding. They’re not quite at the blow-it-up stage, but they’re still not at the point where you believe they’ve turned a corner. There’s a belief that, once the Giants draft a quarterback, it resets that clock — back to square one. That’s not necessarily the case, at least not how the Giants see it.

There’s an epidemic in the NFL centered around young quarterbacks playing immediately. The Giants don’t have to fall victim to that. Selecting a quarterback in the first round does not mean Schoen then trades Jones — granted, Jones would have little-to-no market, sources told SNY, because of his injury history and contract.

Because of this, the Giants could create a situation like the Packers had (Jordan Love sitting behind Aaron Rodgers) or the Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes behind Alex Smith).

No, Jones is nowhere near the caliber quarterback of Rodgers, nor has he had the same success as Smith, but he is an experienced quarterback with 59 starts and a playoff win on his resume. That’s not meaningless. There’s no reason the rookie can’t sit and learn while Jones plays. Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll can make a switch if things turn south, but ride Jones as long as he’s playing well. Weeks … months … years.

The rookie’s time will come. There’s no reason why that has to be Week 1 of 2024.

The Giants could easily go with a receiver (Malik Nabers out of LSU) or offensive lineman (Joe Alt out of Notre Dame), but this is a quarterback-driven league and, right now, the Giants have nothing but questions at the position. Schoen was not in a position to draft a quarterback (or trade up for one) his first two years. He essentially had no other option but to stick with Jones. That’s not the case this year.

He’ll have a decision to make. Maybe not with the top three options, but his attendance at the Senior Bowl is wildly important because he’s getting a first-hand look at the two he’ll have a chance to select.

The Bears, Commanders and Patriots own the first three selections. League executives expect them to take some variation of Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC) and Jayden Daniels (LSU). There’s a chance one slides to No. 4, which could entice Schoen to trade up, but that seems unlikely. That means Schoen would need to decide if Bo Nix (Oregon) or Michael Penix (Washington) are worthy of that high of a selection.

Nix and Penix are not the same caliber of prospect as those aforementioned three. Nix’s processing ability and Penix’s injury history are the two main reasons why. They are, though, still quality prospects. The Giants could also wait until the second round and select Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy or Tulane’s Michael Pratt.

This wasn’t the reality the Giants felt they’d find themselves in when they walked off the field in Minnesota a little over a year ago. Daboll had unlocked Jones, and after Schoen paid him, the Giants had their quarterback of the future.

Things change. They certainly have with Jones.

If he’s not this team’s franchise quarterback — and it doesn’t look like he is — Schoen must go out and find one.

He’s aware.

And, if presented the opportunity in the draft this year, will address it.