5 first-round mistakes that continue to haunt the NY Giants

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Jan 15, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) runs with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter of a wild card game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports /

3. QB Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones developed into a franchise quarterback in 2022, and there are only seven quarterbacks I would take long term over Jones. Despite those two facts, taking Jones in 2019 was a mistake.

I am a huge believer in Jones and the Giants mistake was strictly from a roster building standpoint. When the Giants took Jones in the 2019 NFL Draft, they were not ready to compete, and did not have a roster that would allow them to compete in the near future.

Four years later, the Giants are finally in position to be true contenders, but they have one big problem: they now have to pay Jones. Vanilla Vick had a cap hit of just over $8 million in 2022, but according to SNY’s Connor Hughes, Danny Dimes’ new contract will likely have an average annual value between $35-37 million.

When your quarterback is on a cheap contract, it gives general managers substantial resources to build a truly elite roster around their young signal-caller. When your quarterback is given a long-term contract, it eats up a significant portion of the salary cap, limiting the talent on the roster. Jones took a big step in ’22, but is he worthy of close to $40 million a season?

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