Joe Schoen has stated this repeatedly.
Daniel Jones is expected to start for the Giants at quarterback in the opening game of the 2024 season if he is healthy.
But what would that mean if the Giants used their No. 6 pick in the upcoming NFL draft to select a quarterback?
“Did I say my expectation was to take a quarterback?’’ Schoen asked Monday at the NFL’s annual league meeting.
Naturally, this has no bearing on what the Giants will do with their first-round selection.
They have made no secret of the time and money they have spent studying the best quarterbacks available in this draft.
Naturally, this has no bearing on what the Giants will do with their first-round selection.
They have made no secret of the time and money they have spent studying the best quarterbacks available in this draft.
There is no doubt they are seriously considering addressing what Schoen called the most important position in sports.
There is also no doubt if it comes to that, the co-owner of the team, John Mara, will not stand in the way.
“If they fall in love with a quarterback and believe that it’s worth pick No. 6 or we’re moving up, I certainly would support that,’’ Mara said. “I let the general manager and the head coach build the roster. We have operated the same way for many years here. If they have a conviction about a player I’m not getting involved. I’ll question them about it, make ’em defend their position, but the only time I’m gonna get involved and exert any influence is if I think it’s a conduct issue off the field and that’s happened, not with this group but in the past on very rare occasions.’’
This was not a discussion or a thought process the Giants anticipated engaging in when they signed Jones last year to a four-year deal for $160 million.
They believed they had found Eli Manning’s successor even as the contract was crafted for the team to be able to get out of it relatively unscathed after only two years.
What followed was one misadventure after another.
Jones played poorly behind a woebegone offensive line, missed three games with a second neck injury and upon his return went down with a torn ACL, ending his season in Week 9.
The Giants did not expect to fall so precipitously and the resulting No. 6 overall pick in the draft means they must consider their options at quarterback, with Jones now considered a medical risk.
Schoen said the update he received Friday revealed Jones moved to a new phase in his rehab and is now running on land and is off the Ultra-G gravity treadmill.
“Every patient is different, and you can’t really predict if swelling is going to occur or if there’s a setback,’’ Schoen said. “He’s on the right track right now.’’
The Giants signed Drew Lock as Jones’ backup and still have Tommy DeVito on the roster. Whether another quarterback arrives in the draft could tell the tale on what Jones’ future is with the team that made him the No. 6 overall pick in 2019.
“I know they’re looking at the quarterbacks, yeah,’’ Mara said of Schoen and his staff. “You’ve seen they’ve gone to some of the pro days, we’ve had a couple of those guys in. I don’t think they’re even close to making a final determination yet as to which way we’re gonna go on that. Those discussions will happen over the next few weeks.’’
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye could come off the board with the first three picks. If the Giants want one of them, they most likely will have to engage in a costly trade-up.
Where J.J. McCarthy fits in is anyone’s guess.
“We’re looking at every scenario,’’ Schoen said. “We can go either way. We can go up. We can go back. It’s still March, and there’s plenty of time. There’s a lot of strategy involved.’’
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