John Mara, a co-owner of the New York Giants, answered questions from the media during a pause in the league meeting.
John Mara, a co-owner of the New York Giants, last addressed reporters during the annual league meetings approximately a year ago. However, he broke his silence this week to discuss the team’s situation with those present at the league conference.
Here are some conclusions that can be drawn from his meeting regarding the future of the club.
This is hardly a surprising remark. We’ve said before that head coach Brian Daboll wouldn’t have to worry about his job as long as the players in the locker room remained cohesive and competitive, regardless of whether the Giants were in the running for the playoffs or not.
This was the case in 2023, as the Giants won four of their final seven games and managed to hold onto their modest hopes of making the playoffs until a devastating Week 15 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Recall that Joe Schoen stated that Daniel Jones should be the starting quarterback when healthy. That is not the same as announcing that Jones will start, and Mara’s remarks seem to suggest that, even in the case of a healthy Jones, that decision is not set in stone.
Despite the Giants’ best efforts to minimize it, Jones’s history of injuries, especially the two neck problems he’s had in the last three years, must raise some red flags. Although Mara is giving Schoen and Daboll the freedom to choose whether to choose a quarterback, it’s difficult to see them passing up the chance to add strength from a deep class, particularly in light of Jones’s history of injuries.
But this comment sticks out because, as it should, Jones will have to fight for his job. Yes, he signed a four-year, $160 million contract, but as we’ve already mentioned, Jones really only has a two-year contract, which the Giants can terminate at the end of this season if Jones doesn’t perform well or has another injury.
The bottom line is that a player shouldn’t be placed on a scholarship based only on his contract or draft status unless he is a top-5 performer at his position, and it’s encouraging to see the coaching staff adjust to this. In the past, the Giants had a bad reputation for carrying players on scholarships until they realized it wasn’t a wise strategy for developing a stable roster.
Long-term, it is definitely best for the Giants, but Mara is surely not the only one who felt terrible after Saquon Barkle signed with the Eagles. Barkley’s cap number might have increased even more, necessitating a restructure, had they signed him to a long-term contract last year, considering all the requirements they had to fill this off-season. And with all the other issues on the club, it’s obvious that Schoen wasn’t willing to spend a lot of money on a running back who was 27 years old or older and had a history of injuries.
You think? To be fair to the offensive line, though, coaching has long been a problem; otherwise, how can we explain young players’ lackluster development trends?
Thus, Mara is right to anticipate significantly different outcomes than in previous years given the unit’s investments, the Giants’ decision to go with a veteran offensive line coach instead of Bobby Johnson because the offensive line needs to get off to a quick start, and other factors.
Regarding the offensive line, Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan, Jr. will probably be the guards as Evan Neal will likely get another chance at right tackle. On the other hand, Neal should have a short leash at the appropriate tackle area.
Although there has been progress in Daniel Jones’s rehabilitation, much more remains to be ascertained. Even if Jones is cleared by the start of training camp, it would still be shocking if the Giants allow him to play in preseason games.
The key question, though, is how much the coaching staff will limit Jones’s running ability given the ACL and the quarterback’s occasionally reckless play. Who knows if they have even thought about this.
Recall that Jones is covered by an injury guarantee. Should he sustain another injury and fail a medical the following season, the Giants will be liable for an extra guaranteed sum that will increase their dead money hit. And the fact that people just appear ready to take that chance, no matter how foolish it may be, is becoming more and more obvious.
