By Michael Stewart/@TheTruthNYG
What should the Giants do with Daniel Jones in 2022?
Quarterback Daniel Jones currently has a career record of 10-24 with the Giants and although this shouldn’t all be directed at him; it does show some concern moving forward into next season. The Giants have only 5 games remaining this season and Daniel Jones will be missing his second straight game with a neck injury and recent reports suggest that Jones could be out longer than expected. This will be Jones 3rd straight season that he has missed playing time due to injuries and for Giant fans who watched Eli Manning play his entire career never missing a game; this is unchartered territory. So with that in mind; “What should the Giants do with Daniel Jones in 2022?
Would a new GM want his own QB to lead the Giants?
The simple answer to this question is “YES” as it’s a fore gone conclusion that current GM Dave Gettleman who drafted Jones in the 2019 NFL draft 6th overall will either be fired, retire or resign once the season ends. The new GM could very well want to put his own finger prints on the Giants roster and often times the position that gets the most attention is at quarterback. Magnifying this scenario even more is the rumor mill of Russell Wilson possibly playing his last season in Seattle and becoming available this off season. So it remains to be seen whether or not the new GM will indeed look for another quarterback and replace Jones, but it’s definitely an option the he will consider.
What should the Giants do with all their draft picks?
Well that will be up to the new GM of course, however; with two 1st round picks they could invest in a quarterback, but are the quarterback prospects in this year’s draft worthy enough be a 1st round selection? Many experts don’t believe so and are weighing another option for the Giants to make a big splash and pulling the trigger in a trade for Russell Wilson. So what would it take for the Giants to acquire Wilson this off season? And do the Giants have enough cap space to pull this deal off? Currently Wilson has a no trade clause, but it’s being reported that Wilson will waive that clause to a handful of teams and the Giants are apparently one of those teams. We are still in the early stages of any trade talks and there are other teams on Wilson’s list that seem to be better fits for the 7-time Pro Bowler with one particular team being the Denver Broncos who have the draft capital, cap space and also the roster that would appeal to Wilson. So if the Giants want to acquire Russell Wilson, they would need to start with their two 1st round picks in this year’s draft. Stay tune.
New GM in Place
Whoever the new GM is going to be, he will have a very busy 1st off-season as he will not only debate over whether or not to go with Jones, but also the remaining roster and the salary cap situation. There are other players on this roster that could be with new teams in 2022 due to lack of performance or cap stipulations and that would be solely up to the new GM to make those decisions and hopefully put together a more talented and competitive roster for the 2022 and beyond. This could arguably be one of the most important off-seasons for this franchise. If the new GM pushes all the right buttons, the Giants could turn their fortunes around quickly and become a legitimate playoff team. However; if the new GM makes the same mistakes as the last two previously GM’s for the Giants have done, it could spiral this franchise downward and it may take them years to recover.
Final Take
Although my opinion will not affect any decisions made by the Giants brain trust, I still feel compelled to offer it and I believe the Giants need think long term here and to utilize their current 10 draft picks and rebuild the trenches on both sides of the ball. Russell Wilson is a future Hall of Famer, but he is 33 years and a short-term solution as his best years are arguably behind him. Stripping your draft capital and not to mention the limited cap space to acquire Wilson will create a lack of talent on this roster; especially on the offensive line that is currently in shambles with only one lineman penciled in to start in 2022 and that’s Andrew Thomas. Perhaps this move should have been made once Eli Manning retired; unfortunately, the timing just wasn’t right. Give Jones one more season to evaluate with a better line in front of him and if he fails, use the 1st round pick in 2023, which could be a top 10 pick for your next quarterback in the 2023 draft.