In a decision expected by a healthy majority, the New York Giants came out of their bye week making the announcement which caught no one by surprise: Daniel Jones is officially heading to the bench.
New York is going a different direction at quarterback -- finally.
The Giants are indeed admitting failure on the Jones pick and contract, albeit just a little too late. Still, the decision is better late than never. Fans have long grown tired of seeing the same, old mistakes and incompetencies out of their "franchise" quarterback. It was time for a change, and that's exactly what the Giants are doing.
But, the immediate, but reaction from fans expecting a certain quarterback to replace Jones would be proven wrong. No, it is not going to be Drew Lock getting the job.
The Giants are replacing Jones with last year's undrafted fan favorite, Tommy DeVito.
Sources: The New York Giants are expected to replace Daniel Jones with Tommy DeVito as their new starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/pVLVWVNDBY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 18, 2024
If Giants fans are wondering why it's not going to be Lock, that sentiment is perfectly fair. It would have made sense for Lock to get the nod over DeVito, but only if the Giants wanted to win football games.
The Daniel Jones benching was not about winning football games
Is DeVito the quarterback which gives the Giants the best chance to win? In all honesty, no, he is not. That would have been Lock, by a mile.
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But, this is a great decision for two reasons. First of all, Giants fans love DeVito, or as he's also been known, "Tommy Cutlets." The fan base loves them some Tommy Cutlets, and for that reason, this is an exciting decision.
DeVito did go 3-3 as a starter during his rookie campaign, throwing for over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns versus only three interceptions.
Funny enough, on the other hand, DeVito also gives the Giants the best chance at a top draft pick. Lock would have been the selection had the Giants wanted to try and win some games over the second half of the year. But, this decision was way more about the Giants ending an era.
Putting an end to the Daniel Jones era was the move, here. It wasn't about winning football games or seeing what they had in DeVito, once more, for future purposes. The Giants are going to continue to lose football games, but they'll do so with a likable guy under center.
Meanwhile, DeVito will play the Giants into further contention for the no. 1 overall pick in next year's draft.
In a way, this really is a win-win when you look at it from a grand scale. The Giants did pick the right quarterback by starting DeVito, but not for the reasons you might think.
Now, all of the attention officially shifts to next year. Who will the Giants get to replace Jones? Will they go after a free agent? Will they use that top draft pick on a quarterback? Maybe they go both routes.
In any event, fans have reason for a glimmer of hope.