New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones bottomed out this past season.
After his best performance of his career during the 2022 season, the Giants inked Jones to a four-year contract reportedly worth up to $160M that last March.
But Jones took a major step back in 2023.
Not only did he regress from a career-best season in 2022, but he also suffered the second major neck injury of his career and then suffered a torn ACL in Week 9.
New York Giants, Kyler Murray, Daniel JonesEzoic
The underperformance and injuries have rekindled calls for the New York Giants to select a top quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft, but that’s something general manager Joe Schoen has refused to commit to.
Although Schoen admits it’s necessary to address the quarterback situation this offseason — due to Jones’ injuries and the team’s lacking depth — he remains open to all positions and possibilities with the Giants’ first-round pick.
Meanwhile, Schoen has been encouraged by Daniel Jones’ recovery.
“He’s doing well. He’s running in a pool now, so he’s progressed to that,” Schoen told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday. “He’s in there every day working hard. Again, I’ve said it multiple times, he’s a kid you’re going to have to pull back.Ezoic
“He’s (in there) with our early-morning workout people. He’s in there by 6:30. He’s already getting his workout in every day. So, he’s going to work hard at it.”
Schoen has repeatedly stated that Jones will be penciled in as the team’s starter once he returns to the field. And while initial hope was that DJ could return by Week 1, the third-year GM is now hopeful to have his quarterback on the field by the start of training camp in July.
New York Giants, Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones
“We’re hoping that he’ll be ready to go once camp starts,” Schoen added.
If Jones were able to return in time for camp, it would be a miraculous recovery. It would be just shy of nine months removed from the torn ACL, which seems a bit pie in the sky.
Either way, Schoen is becoming more and more optimistic about Jones’ return by the day.Ezoic
No matter what Schoen says, it would be foolish for the Giants brass not to be open to every possibility regarding their franchise QB. Bleacher Report recently proposed a blockbuster trade that would likely make fans of the G-Men ecstatic.
New York Giants Swap Daniel Jones For Kyler Murray In Blockbuster Trade With Arizona Cardinals
New York Giants, Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones
In a recent piece titled “NFL Trade Ideas That Can Reshape The League In 2024,” Bleacher Report alluded to wild trades from past seasons that caught fans off guard, before presenting five blockbuster trade predictions this offseason.Ezoic
Recent moves like Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff (and change), A.J. Brown to the Eagles and Jalen Ramsey to the Rams have had significant impacts. And with the very first trade suggestion, B/R recommended the Giants and Cardinals swap Daniel Jones for Kyler Murray.
Both the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals are locked into massive contracts with their young 2019 first-round picks at quarterback, and neither has reason to be completely satisfied with the returns. Each team has had just one winning season since that draft.
So why not make a swap?
Murray’s a little more costly (his deal averages $46.1 million per year compared to $40.0 million for Jones), but he’s also clearly more accomplished as a top pick and a two-time Pro Bowler (Jones was drafted sixth and has never been a Pro Bowler). As a result, the G-Men would likely have to sweeten the pot a bit, but they’d at least be saving the Cards some cash and potentially help them expedite a rebuild.
It would be really interesting to see what coordinator Mike Kafka might be capable of doing with Murray in the Giants offense, and what a fresh setting could do for both quarterbacks.
