Three Daniel Jones Replacements For the New York Giants

The 2023 NFL season was a disastrous one for the New York Giants by and large, and it was especially so for fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones. After a great 2022 in which Jones seemed to prove that he can effectively run a winning offense by limiting turnovers, running the ball, and hitting open throws, the Giants gave him a four-year, $160 million deal. It seemed a bit pricy given Jones' obvious limitations but inking a young QB to a fairly reasonable annual salary for the position is not the worst team-building strategy and, once the details emerged, it became clear they could get out of the deal pretty quickly. How bad could things really get?

Pretty bad, as it turns out! Jones played the first five games of the year before suffering a concussion, missed a month, and then tore his ACL in his first game back. His season statline: 909 yards passing, two touchdowns, six interceptions, and another 206 yards on the ground with a rushing TD. The offense looked incredibly dysfunctional with and without Jones at the helm. It was a total mess.

The Giants have to grin and bear it with Jones for at least one more season because, if he is not on the roster for the 2024 season, they will suffer a $67 million dead cap hit. That is untenable. However, they're apparently still done with Jones. Like, done done. Rich Eisen reported on Monday that he heard New York is fed up with the inconsistent play of their 2019 first-round pick.

As explained above there is no way the Giants could trade Jones without hamstringing themselves in free agency, so it is very unlikely they'll do so even with these reports out in the open. But that does not mean they can't find his replacement while Jones is still on the roster.

Here are a few possible options in that department for the Giants to pursue if they are, in fact, absolutely done with the former Duke quarterback.

Russell Wilson

Wilson just got cut by the Denver Broncos (who did not care about the historic dead cap hit they takea s a result) and is now one of the more famous veteran quarterbacks on the free agent market. As you have probably heard by now, Wilson is not the guy who cooked for the Seahawks anymore. He had 3,070 yards through the air in 2023 with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions, which are fine stats, but he struggled to keep his team around the .500 mark. His failure to do so under Sean Payton's tutelage does not bode well for when he's working for a less talented playcaller. Wilson is nothing more than a game-manager now, and anyone thinking they might be able to get him back to top-10 QB levels will be disappointed.

But Wilson could maybe still win games as long as he accepts that he cannot cook the way he used to. And he could be available for cheap if it means he gets a shot at a starting job, which the Giants now seem willing to offer. Wilson made plenty of money with the Broncos despite how poorly he played. If all he's looking for is a chance to revitalize his career, working for Brian Daboll in the New York media market is one of the better options out there. The Giants can sign him with the hope he rediscovers something like his old form, but if he doesn't, can move on quickly from him and Jones next offseason and take another swing at finding their QB of the future. A good fit for both sides.

JJ McCarthy

The Giants have the No. 6 overall pick in the draft (just like they did when they drafted Jones) and JJ McCarthy's stock rose quite a bit at the combine last week. The Giants met with him, presumably under the guise of doing their due diligence. Now, though, in tandem with the Jones report, the possibility of McCarthy going sixth overall to New York has never felt higher.

You would probably have to comfort your close Giants fan friends if that was the case. The move feels very similar to how they picked Jones way before anyone thought at sixth overall in 2019. McCarthy has a far better resume than Jones in terms of winning but they share similar strengths and weaknesses in regards to their ability to throw the ball and threaten teams on the ground. Would the Giants pass up a shot at a blue-chip wide receiver, tackle, or edge rusher to take a younger version of Jones whose biggest attribute is being a "winner"? They just might.

Ryan Tannehill

While the above two choices are far more spicy, someone like Tannehill is more realistic. He won't have many suitors in free agency since he's coming off an injury-riddled season and is clearly a tier below fellow free-agent quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield. Many teams might even see him as below Wilson given how much better Wilson was when things were going well. Presumably he'd like a chance to compete for a starting job, which the Giants could give him, and wouldn't ask for much money, which would be a priority for New York since they have so much money tied up in Jones already.

It wouldn't be very exciting but Giants fans can see the vision. Signing a veteran like Tannehill to push Jones for his starting job could make Jones better and the QB problem is solved. If it doesn't make him better and he loses his spot to said veteran, then the Giants know they've gotta move on next season. It's not splashy but it's economical and more of a long-term play than a panic-filled short-term fix.