Daniel Jones expects to be ready for contact long before next season

Daniel Jones knows he won’t need to be cleared for contact until August. That’s the next time he will be on a football field facing opponents who can pummel him. But the Giants quarterback said he expects to reach that milestone in the coming weeks rather than months and that the neck injury that sidelined him for the final six games of the season will not be an issue this offseason.

"I can do everything from a lifting, throwing, running standpoint," he said on Monday. "I’m not limited in those areas. It is a process. I think it’s weeks, but it’s really irrelevant at this point because I don’t expect to be doing any contact."

Jones never had many symptoms that held him back after his injury on Nov. 28 against the Eagles, which turned out to be the last win of the season for the Giants. He was able to participate in practices until he was placed on injured reserve in late December, but the medical team would not allow him to play against live competition as a precaution.

Because of that, Jones had to watch the final six games from the sideline as the already struggling offense collapsed. With Jones, the Giants averaged a disappointing 18.4 points a game. Without him, that number went to an unfathomable 9.3.

The Giants scored an NFL-low 24 touchdowns in 2021 — 23 on offense — and finished 31st in the NFL with an average of 15.2 points, 297.3 total yards and 188.0 passing yards a game.

"Obviously, no one expected it to turn out like it did," Jones said of the season. "I take a lot of responsibility in where we are and how we perform. As a group, as individuals as well, we have to analyze that, understand it, study it and then work to improve and make sure we’re not in that position again moving forward."

Notes & quotes: OL Nick Gates, who suffered a leg fracture in Week 2 that was serious enough to be career-threatening, said he is coming along with his rehab and intends to play again. "My plan is to get back on the field as fast as possible," he said. "I don’t know if it’s going to be [next season] or whatever. Just taking it day by day." . . . TE Evan Engram said he is not making any decisions about his pending free agency at this point but said he would like to come back next season. "I would be blessed to be back in a Giants uniform, but there are a lot of things to get figured out," he said . . . Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker finished the season tied for the team lead in rushing yards with 593 each. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they are the first pair of teammates to tie for any team’s rushing lead since Ray Nolting and Sam Francis each ran for 297 yards for the 1938 Chicago Bears.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

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.