New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones could not catch a break in 2023. After putting together an excellent 2022 campaign, which included a playoff victory on the road over the Minnesota Vikings, Jones and the Giants agreed to a massive contract.
A four-year, $160 million deal was signed right before the deadline to use the franchise tag. That allowed New York to place the tag on running back Saquon Barkley, keeping their two most important offensive pieces in the fold for at least one more season.
Alas, the success Jones was able to have in 2022 was unable to be replicated. He struggled out of the gates as the offensive line was underwhelming once again. Outside of an incredible come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the second half of Week 2, Jones didn’t throw a single touchdown this season.
In Week 5 he suffered his first injury, hurting his neck against the Miami Dolphins. That injury cost him three games, as Tyrod Taylor took over as the starter. Taylor was injured in Week 8 againt the New York Jets, which pressed undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito into the lineup.
With Taylor’s season in jeopardy because of a rib injury, Jones was cleared ahead of the Giants’ Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. He didn’t last very long in that one, suffering what turned out to be a torn ACL in his right knee.
Despite being sidelined for the season, Jones has made his weekly appearances on Up and Adams with Kay Adams. During his appearance this week, he revealed the timetable that has been set for his surgery and how long his recovery may be.
Jones is set to undergo his surgery today, on the eve of Thanksgiving. He also revealed that the recovery for him is anywhere from 8-10 months, which puts his availability for the start of the 2024 season in jeopardy.
If he recovers quickly and is able to get back on the field in eight months, that would put him on track to participate in training camp in July. If it is closer to the full 10 months, he would be a candidate to start the season on IR and miss at least the first four games of the season.
Despite signing a massive contract this offseason, Jones’s future with the Giants is up in the air. There is a chance, depending on how the rest of the 2023 regular season shakes out, that New York will end up with a pick high enough in the 2024 NFL Draft to select one of the top quarterback prospects.
Even with the big contract he signed, it is hard to imagine Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll passing up the chance to bring in a top prospect if the opportunity is presented to them. The ACL tear could end up being the final nail in the coffin for Jones’s tenure with the Giants.
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