Not too long ago, NY Giants co-owner John Mara gave the green light for his team to draft the next quarterback of the future. At the time, with a month to go until the 2024 NFL Draft, everyone was under the belief that Mara was not going to meddle in the draft process and that he would allow for his people to go with what they think will be the best decision.
Could this be a case of Mara potentially having second thoughts? According to reporter Ralph Vacchiano, a source has told him that Mara is actually in favor of rocking with Jones for the long haul. With that said, he has 'no plans' to get in the way of what Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen plan to do. However, could Mara end up getting involved after all?
"One team source said Mara is in favor of sticking with Jones, building him a better offensive line, getting him a No. 1 receiver and then seeing what happens. But by all accounts, he has no plans to overrule whatever decision Schoen and Daboll make." - @RalphVacchiano #NYGiants
— WBG84 (@WBG84) April 12, 2024
Will the NY Giants end up drafting a Daniel Jones replacement?
This has fans starting to wonder if Mara really is in favor of Schoen and Daboll finding the next quarterback to succeed Daniel Jones, a move that many are expecting the team to make when the NFL Draft commences.
Not long ago, Mara was in favor of letting another quarterback come in to compete with Jones to see who the better man is to be the starting quarterback for the 2024 season. He not only left the door open for a QB1 to be drafted, but remember that Drew Lock was also signed to a one-year deal.
John Mara also said if the Giants draft a QB it doesn't mean they would be giving up on Daniel Jones. He'd be fine with letting them "compete" and letting Brian Daboll decide who the starter is (once Jones is healthy).
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) March 25, 2024
That would certainly make for a wild NY QB controversy.
A year ago, the Giants gave Jones a four-year, $160 million deal following a season where the Giants went 9-7-1, went to the postseason and won their first playoff game since winning Super Bowl 46 back in February of 2012. That deal was given to Jones with the expectations that he would elevate his game as a quarterback, as well as elevating the team - that wasn’t the case in 2023.
Instead, Jones went 1-5 as the starter for the Giants, struggled on the field and suffered two more significant injuries. The first was a neck injury that sidelined him for three games. The second one was a torn ACL that sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign - an injury that also required season-ending surgery and a lengthy rehab.
Those are two more serious injuries Jones has suffered while with the Giants and they're injuries that have the Giants contemplating moving on from him. The Giants can release Jones after 2024, as it will result in a $22 million dead cap hit to cut him over having a $41.6 million cap hit for the 2025 season.
If Mara truly does not intend to meddle with Schoen and Daboll, the two men whom he’s designated to run the football side of things, then Mara will let them decide on what is best for the franchise, and that may be drafting the next quarterback to replace the current one who hasn’t lived up to the expectations placed upon him back in 2019.
Whether that player is selected in the first, second or third round, and if they’re taken with the No. 6 overall pick or anywhere else, that remains to be seen. However, the selection of a quarterback in the draft would send a certain message to the franchise and to its fanbase that is yearning for change and a direction back to the winning ways the organization once used to see frequently,