The New York Giants faced a setback in their bid to be serious contenders in the NFL in 2023, and a significant part of that was due to Daniel Jones. The 26-year-old quarterback didn’t have a good start to the season and then suffered a torn ACL in early November, sidelining him for the rest of the year.
This was a different story from what we saw in 2022 when he led the Giants to a playoff win and earned himself a contract extension. Uncertainty has surrounded the 2019 6th overall pick due to inconsistency in his first years in the league, and now his future might be in jeopardy.
With the NFL Draft just a few days away, reports indicate the team is exploring the idea of trading up to land North Carolina product, Drake Maye. There is a strong chance that the first three players selected will be quarterbacks, but experts believe that the New England Patriots will select Maye at number 3.
The Giants currently hold the sixth slot in the Draft, and reports suggest they are impressed with what they’ve seen from the Tar Heels standout.
In 2023, Drake Maye played in 12 games, passing for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. The previous year he was even better, with two extra games; he passed for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions.
The Giants claim they are looking to boost their offense, but the fact that they are even willing to explore the idea of drafting a quarterback with their first pick should tell you what they think about Daniel Jones’ future with the team.
Jones has a fully guaranteed salary of $35.5 million in 2024, and the rest of the quarterback room is expensive. Drew Lock has a $5 million base salary and an additional $3 million in incentives if he plays a certain amount of snaps, something that many front office members keep in mind considering Daniel Jones has missed playing time due to injuries.
To many, it might be a gamble, but Drake Maye is one of the few rookies with the potential to be a starter right away.
