Watch Cris Collinsworth compare NY Giants QB Daniel Jones to Patrick Mahomes

The buzz and excitement surrounding the New York Football Giants seems to grow exponentially by the day. On Thursday, New York stunningly acquired Isaiah Simmons from the Arizona Cardinals for a mere seventh-round pick. That trade should benefit Big Blue big time, but the majority of excitement in New York is due to their quarterback's splendid summer.

Last Friday, Daniel Jones turned heads around the NFL, completing eight of nine passes for 69 yards and a touchdown on the first drive of Big Blue's 21-19 preseason win over Carolina. Jones' strong performance this summer has been noticed by NBC Sports' Cris Collinsworth, who had some incredibly high praise for Jones on FS1's "The Herd" Tuesday afternoon.

Daniel Jones being mentioned in the same sentence as Patrick Mahomes is a monstrous win for New York

"I would say that Jones is, and boy, people are going to scream when they hear this, but he plays the game a little like Patrick Mahomes."

- Cris Collinsworth

New York GM Joe Schoen took a ton of heat in March when he gave Jones a four-year, $160 million contract, top 10 QB money. If you have been following the Schoen-Brian Daboll era for the last 18 months, you have learned that when they make a decision, it works out rather well for the franchise.

So far this summer, Jones has proved to the league and the Giants brass that they made the right call. Colinsworth mentioning Jones in the same sentence as Mahomes, the NFL's best quarterback, proves the league is finally starting to give the Giants signal-caller the respect he deserves.

Colinsworth did not stop at comparing Jones to Mahomes; he brought Joe Burrow, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers into the conversation as well.

"He wants to create some space. He’s pretty good at maneuvering up and through the hole. He’s a 4.8 kind of guy. Patrick Mahomes is about the same thing, and Joe Burrow is probably about the same thing. Even Tom Brady, who wasn’t a fast guy, knows how to manipulate inside the pocket. Aaron Rodgers does a great job of it. In creating that extra second, two, sometimes three seconds to give his receivers a chance to get open."

- Cris Collinsworth

Collinsworth is on the call for the Giants season opener against the Cowboys, so he has watched plenty of Jones' tape, making his analysis very credible. In essence, Collinsworth is calling Jones a playmaker. With the additions of Darren Waller, Jalin Hyatt, Parris Campbell Jr., and John Michael Schmitz in the offseason, the expectations are high for Danny Dimes and this offense.

One thing is clear, Jones is starting to gain respect around the league, and he is poised to take a further step forward this year, potentially into the top five-top ten quarterback conversation. It could be a year to remember for him.

READ MORE: NY Giants trade for Isaiah Simmons in biggest shock of the summer