Daniel Jones will learn that there's life after Giants, and that's not necessarily bad
Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants looks on in the second half against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Daniel Jones has gone through some pretty bleak days during his time with the Giants. There were obviously the many disheartening games and results, but also plenty of practices where he had to stand by while sidelined with injuries, or spend that time completely away from his teammates while in the training room rehabbing. Then over the summer he had to watch his coach and general manager fawn over his potential replacements on “Hard Knocks,” only to have them return to him with as much faux faith as they could muster.
And now this: The first true benching of his career. Not just a demotion but a potential relegation to as low as fourth on a depth chart that just 24 hours ago had only three people on it. And an afternoon spent glumly tossing service passes in drills to players who, unlike him, are preparing to face the Buccaneers on Sunday. He didn’t even get to run the scout team. That’s what the second-stringer does.
“It was different,” wide receiver Darius Slayton said of his pal Jones’ new role. “You don’t want anybody to end up in the predicament he’s in, but here we are.”
Different and a little bit sad. There is even some question over whether Jones will continue to show up to work knowing he will not be given a chance to play again this season. Jones hasn’t spoken publicly about any of this yet and is scheduled to do so for the first time on Thursday. So far, though, he’s been on the field and in the meetings.
“Daniel’s been a pro,” coach Brian Daboll said. “It’s not the easiest situation, I understand that.”
But cheer up, Daniel! As hard as this chapter feels you have plenty of friends and former teammates around the league who will be glad to tell you that there is life beyond the Giants . . . and it can be refreshingly joyous.
Just ask Saquon Barkley, who was pushed aside and is having the best year of his career with the Eagles. Or Sterling Shepard, the receiver who was judged washed up by this very same coaching staff and front office a year ago,but will return to MetLife on Sunday as one of the top playmakers for the Bucs. Or Xavier McKinney, who already has a career-high six interceptions in his first season with the Packers after the Giants let him walk away.
All three of them are on teams fighting for playoff berths.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Kadarius Toney were both abruptly dismissed by the Giants and wound up winning Super Bowl rings elsewhere. Even complete disappointments during their time here such as Ereck Flowers and Eli Apple went on to have productive NFL careers.
And it’s not just players. Pat Shurmur, Jones’ first head coach, is the offensive coordinator for postseason-bound Colorado and, irony of all ironies, may be helping to shape Jones’ eventual replacement here as he molds Shedeur Sanders for the pros. Maybe Bobby Johnson, last year’s beleaguered offensive line coach, isn’t the dope the performance of his players last year made him out to be. He seems happy to have a new crew to work with for the Commanders.
Heck, even Wink Martindale, the defensive coordinator at Michigan, took time away from a disappointing season in Ann Arbor to deliver a not-so-subtle shot at his former team a few weeks ago. When asked what he thought of his first year coaching at the college level, Martindale said: “It’s a lot better than being at some places that are 2-7.”
That quote aged poorly. The Giants are now 2-8. Try to keep up, Wink.
It wasn’t long ago when the Giants were the team no one wanted to leave. Even after their services here were finished and they would go elsewhere for a while, whether briefly or for a year or two at the end of their careers, players such as Brandon Jacobs, Victor Cruz, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora would return and report that there was something special about this organization and the way it was run, the way it treated players as people. Other organizations just couldn’t replicate it, they’d say.
Just five years ago Eli Manning ended his 16-season, two-Super Bowl career with the statement: “For me, it’s only a Giant.” Sniff, sniff.
That’s probably something Jones thought he might get to say one day. Obviously he won’t. He won’t be back next year and that undoubtedly stings of failure and frustration and anger and misery and all the other emotions swirling around inside his helmet behind that same stoic face he had on when he signed his $160 million deal or won that playoff game.
But he’ll be given another shot by another team in a league that is always looking for open box deals on functioning quarterbacks. Jones may not be a franchise quarterback — or at least not the quarterback for this franchise — but he is most certainly an NFL-level player. Talent at his position is so prized and valued he may have another 10 years left in him if he wants to hang around that long.
He might even wind up going someplace . . . better.
“Hopefully,” Slayton said with a chuckle. “If not here, hopefully it’s somewhere.”
The chances of it, in fact, seem pretty high.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
