New York Giants’ Daniel Jones motivated by what he saw on Hard Knocks

One of the biggest takeaways from the New York Giants’ appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks was the manner in which the team let it be known their feelings about starting quarterback Daniel Jones.

In nearly every episode of the five-part series, the Giants’ front office intimated they were interested in finding a possible Jones successor, even though he is only one season in on the $160 million extension they inked him to last March.

The motivation was driven out of concern for Jones’ long-term health.

Jones, 27, who is coming off a season that saw him endure both neck and knee injuries, could only watch and rehab this offseason as the Giants failed in their machinations to land a rookie quarterback.

General manager Joe Schoen attempted to move up in the draft from No. 6 overall to No. 3 to select a quarterback, most notably UNC’s Drake Maye. However, he deemed the price too high, which justifiably calls into question how motivated they actually were.

When the holders of that pick, the New England Patriots, wouldn’t budge, Schoen settled on getting Jones a weapon — LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

Nabers has proved thus far in training camp that he may be better than any player in this year’s draft class. The Giants’ Plan B just might be the best outcome they could have hoped for. They say the best trades (or moves) sometimes are the ones you don’t make.

Jones will be under center this season barring anything unforeseen. He has stayed relatively quiet (as usual) but made it known that he didn’t appreciate the team’s stance on him, but he’s staying classy and is using it to his advantage.

“I’m very motivated by this and by being as good a player as I can be. Definitely didn’t enjoy watching that and it was a tough situation in a lot of ways, but that’s the reality of the NFL,” Jones said in an interview with Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD.com. “My job is to be on the field and play good football. So that’s something I’ve got to understand and it is what it is at this point. It’s about playing the game and playing well now.”

Co-owner John Mara told reporters this week that he has no regrets with the team having to go with Jones again this year.

“I’m still happy we gave him that contract because I thought he played really well for us in 2022,” Mara said. “Last year, he got hurt and let’s be honest, when he was playing, we weren’t blocking anybody. So, let’s give him a chance with a better offensive line with some weapons around him to see what he can do.”

Jones will be afforded a better offensive line this season, which isn’t saying much since last year’s line, ravaged by injuries, allowed a league-high 85 sacks.

The addition of Nabers to the wide receiver group and the diverse running back unit that the Giants have replaced Saquon Barkley with could make for a more dynamic offense. Jones is excited.

“I’m excited with where we are as a group,” he told Dunne. “I think bringing in a couple guys offensively is going to help us and then we got some young guys who are getting older — older guys who’ve been good players for us. So when you think about that mix, right now, that’s what it’s about. Finding how we all gel together. The chemistry. Playing well together and picking each other up and elevating our level of play.”

The Giants, Schoen, and head coach Brian Daboll appeared to be disappointed in the HBO series after whiffing on a draft day move for a quarterback but have since recommitted to Jones.

“I think we communicated with Daniel throughout the process, and you go through the process, and we went through that process not knowing Daniel was going to be here today and full go 100 percent,” Schoen said at the outset of training camp.

“You are trying to make decisions and you don’t have all the answers. We didn’t know that he was going to be healthy today, and we don’t know what it’s going to look like tomorrow. He’s eight months off an ACL. So you go through the process, and we had a thorough process, which I think they did a good job of showing. If you’re comfortable making a move and it made sense at the time, then that’s what we would do. Whatever’s best for the organization, which we talked about several times in there.”

Mara has said time and time again the team has failed Jones since drafting him sixth overall in 2019. He wants Jones to pan out, just like another quarterback (Phil Simms) did years ago after a rough first five seasons.

“I check in with him from time to time,” Mara said of Jones. “He’s a real professional, he understands this business and if anything, I’m sure it probably motivates him, and he doesn’t need to be motivated. There’s no harder worker in that building. I think he handled it like the professional that he is, and I expect him to have a great season.”

So, Jones gets one more chance. Possibly his last one.