EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants entered the 2024 NFL draft with Daniel Jones as their quarterback. Nothing changed over the weekend after six picks and three days.
It wasn't for lack of trying. The Giants engaged in talks with the New England Patriots for pick No. 3 in hopes of what sources said was for North Carolina's Drake Maye. They made offers that involved their first and second-round picks this year and first-rounder in 2025, according to multiple sources.
When Patriots owner Robert Kraft said at the NFL's annual meetings last month that "one way or another, I'd like to see us get a top-rate, young quarterback," that should have been a sign. The teams with the first three picks -- the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and Patriots -- were going to land Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Maye, the top three quarterbacks in this draft.
At that point, Plan A for general manager Joe Schoen and Co. was to stay at No. 6 and select explosive LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, which they did. The Giants didn't have high enough grades on the second tier of quarterbacks -- J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix -- and grabbed a No. 1 receiver, which Jones has never had.
It's an immediate weapon for Jones, but also potentially fortifies the supporting cast for whomever is the quarterback in the future.
For now, it's Jones, even if the Giants' attempt to trade up suggests it won't be for much longer. But he still has a chance in yet another prove-it season to show he's the answer.
"Yeah, for me, I said it in January after the season. Expectation was Daniel would be our starter and we brought Drew Lock in to be his backup and Tommy [DeVito] has been the backup," Schoen said. "So that's where we are and that's how we'll move forward this season. Daniel is still under contract for three more years.
"As it sits today, that is where we are."
It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for Jones' future. That's because the Giants can reasonably get out of his deal after this season, even if there are technically three years remaining. Jones has no guaranteed money remaining after 2024 and has three serious injuries over the past three seasons, including two neck injuries. He's currently rehabbing from a torn ACL in his right knee but is expected to be ready for training camp.
It seems likely that Jones' days in New York are now numbered. He's entering Year 6 having rarely shown the ability to carry a team. He's never come close to a Pro Bowl. The last quarterback to win a Super Bowl without having made a Pro Bowl was Joe Flacco in 2012.
Schoen didn't refute that the Giants had inquired about pick No. 3 for a quarterback, but kept the details of any offer to himself.
"We had a lot of conversations with a lot of teams," he said after the first round when asked about trying to trade with the Patriots. "I'm not going to get into specifics. We had a really good player at six. That was a position that I think was a need that we needed to upgrade. I'm fired up about the kid."
It's not to say that the Giants don't have any confidence in Jones. It was Schoen and coach Brian Daboll who signed off on the decision to sign him to the four-year, $160 million deal last offseason. And they do believe he can have some success this season, if healthy, working behind an improved offensive line and a receiving corps led by Nabers.
It should also help to have a motivated Jones. The last time he was forced to play for his future he had the best season of his career in 2022, when he won a playoff game.
The Giants insist they have been open and honest with Jones about the situation.
"There's a human element, too. If you're sitting in there and you're in the receiver room and we draft Malik Nabers, there's a human element to that, too," Daboll said. "So I think you have to be transparent. There's a draft every year. There's free agency every year. We start out the meeting by any new players that are here that weren't here last year, stand up, and any guys that were drafted by Joe and the staff, stand up. It's different every year. The teams are different. It's constructed different.
"But I think that opens lines of communication whether it's D.J., whether it's with Tommy, whether it's with the receivers, the D-linemen and the linebackers, running backs. I encourage all of our coaches to do that because I think that's important to be transparent, whether it's, again, free agency, draft. There's constant turnover. So the communication lines are definitely very important."
Jones has already compared his approach to how running back Saquon Barkley handled last season. Barkley played on the franchise tag and tried not to think of his future, instead concentrating on what he could do to get better.
Barkley's time in New York ended in March. If Jones doesn't have the best season of his career, he's likely to follow in Barkley's footsteps.