When the man upstairs gives you his blessing, you know things are serious. We're not talking about God, it's NY Giants owner John Mara we're referencing in this case. At the Annual League Meeting, Mara spoke with the press and there were some major takeaways.
Among them had to be the fact that Mara basically gave Schoen and Brian Daboll the go ahead to pursue a star quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft to replace Daniel Jones if that's what they think is best for the future of this team. Does that include trading up and paying a steep price to do so? You better believe it.
GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll have the green light to draft a QB, if they so desire.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) March 25, 2024
John Mara: “If they fall in love with the quarterback and believe it’s worth pick No. 6 or moving up, [I] certainly would support that.”
John Mara won't get in the way of the Giants bringing in a new franchise QB
Last March when the Giants gave Daniel Jones his $160 million extension, Schoen took a massive risk in doing so. Now, the phrase 'buyer's remorse' keeps coming up a year later. Rumors continue to fly that the G-Men want to trade up to land either Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy.
Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall is a lock, but who knows what the Patriots and Cardinals are thinking at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. The door is open for Schoen to move up to one of those spots if he wants, but there's still the chance he backs Jones and brings in Rome Odunze, Malik Nabers or Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 6 overall.
The main issue with Jones has been injuries, as he just can't stay healthy. In 2022, he was fantastic, powering the Giants back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. His showing in the Wild Card Round win over Minnesota was electric.
Then in 2023, the wheels fell off. With his rough play and the torn ACL in Week 9, it's unknown if he'll even be ready to start by Week 1. It's also unknown if the Giants are going to give him one last chance to prove he's worth sticking around for the long haul, or if Schoen will go after a QB in what Mara is calling one of the best classes in years. Eventually, the call will belong to the Big Blue GM, but Mara giving him the green light to bring in a new QB1 sure has a lot of people talking - and rightfully so.