New York Giants GM Joe Schoen Willing To Stick With Daniel Jones

In an ideal NFL setting, a new general manager and a new head coach typically get to pick a new quarterback, thereby putting all three on the same timeline, for better or for worse.

But for the New York Giants, their new general manager Joe Schoen seems willing to stick with the team’s existing quarterback, Daniel Jones, who, pending his recovery from a season-ending sprained neck injury, is entering a make-or-break fourth season.

Schoen, the 42-year-old whiz kid who was the Robin to Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s Batman in Buffalo, has done some evaluation on what Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, and a player who thus far is tethering on being a first-round bust.

So far, Schoen said he’s been encouraged by what he’s learned. 

“I wasn’t here in the past, so I don’t exactly know what he was told to do, but I know he’s a great kid. He’s been in this building the last two days. I’ve talked to him. There’s not anybody in this building that’s said a bad word about his work ethic, passion, desire to win,” Schoen said.

“I think you’ve got to have those traits as a quarterback, and the kid has physical ability, he’s got arm strength, he’s athletic, he can run. I’m excited to work with Daniel, and when the new staff gets in here, we’ll build an offense around Daniel to accentuate what he does best.”

It’s difficult to know precisely what Jones, who was one of a small group of players on hand to watch Schoen’s introductory press conference, does best because, as team co-owner John Mara candidly admitted, “We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up since he’s been here. We keep changing coaches, keep changing offensive coordinators, keep changing offensive line coaches—I take a lot of responsibility for that.”

But Mara, who, along with Steve Tisch, the Giants’ other co-owner, has pledged to give Schoen their full support in getting him the resources he needs to not only turn Jones into what they think he can become but also improve the organization’s record.

“Let’s bring in the right group of coaches now and give him some continuity and try to rebuild the offensive line and then be able to make an intelligent evaluation of whether he can be the franchise quarterback or not,” Mara said.

“I have a lot of hope in Daniel, and I know how badly he wants it. I know how the players feel about him. We are certainly not giving up on him by any stretch of the imagination.”

Schoen agreed.

“I’ve looked at Daniel, and once the new staff gets in here, we’re going to get together – offensive coordinator, head coach, the entire staff – dive into the film as a group and look at what Daniel does best, and we’re going to try to allow him to put his best foot forward,” he said.