The New York Giants are moving forward with Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback this season after signing him to a contract extension before the start of the 2023 season. But it sounds like the team would have liked to bring in a new top quarterback this offseason if they could have made it happen.
During the most recent episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, a conversation between Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen revealed that the New York Giants were willing to trade up to select reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
“Daniels: Have you guys seen enough that you would trade up for him?” Schoen asked during a personnel meeting, according to Pro Football Talk.
“Daniels? I would,” Daboll replied.
The Giants were linked to several quarterbacks in the draft, but ultimately chose not to trade up and simply selected wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft.
Obviously, it’s a pretty brutal message to Jones that the team was willing to trade up to bring in a new quarterback. Jones, meanwhile, admitted last month that he “wasn’t fired up” about the team’s continued pursuit of a new quarterback.
“I wasn’t fired up about it,” Jones said last month. “It’s part of it at this level. What I can do is focus on myself, getting healthy and paying the best football I can play — that I know I’m capable of playing. That’s my job, that’s what I’m gonna do. . . . I’m always motivated. I consider myself a really driven guy and I’m always going to work as I hard as I possibly can. It’s part of it, but I’m fired up we got Malik and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
Obviously, the team didn’t ultimately bring in a new quarterback, so Jones will have this season to prove himself.
