Daniel Jones’ $160,000,000 hype fails to land Giants QB in top 10 NFL QB rankings
Daniel Jones earned himself a cool $160 million contract after a good 2022 NFL season. Despite cashing in for a stunning amount of money, others didn't buy in nearly as hard on the Giants quarterback.
ESPN's list of top 10 2023 quarterbacks was recently posted by Jeremy Fowler. The list was compiled using "execs, coaches, scouts, and players around the NFL." Interstingly, Jones was nowhere to be found.
Out of the ten selections, only three NFC quarterbacks made the list - Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, and Matthew Stafford. Meanwhile, the AFC quarterbacks were Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, and Trevor Lawrence.
The omission of Daniel Jones comes in the wake of an up-and-down body of work over the course of his career.
Heading into 2022, not many expected him to be in his current position with the Giants. The team had refused to pick up his fifth-year option, giving an indication that they were essentially done with the experiment.
Daniel Jones' career history leaves fans anxious for the 2023 NFL season
From 2019 until 2021, Daniel Jones posted just 12 total wins to 25 losses. Although he showed flashes in his rookie year with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, the following two seasons saw a major decline.
In those two years, he threw for a combined 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
William Byron wins at Atlanta.
Here is him talking about Daniel Jones this week for Talkin’ Giants. Let’s win some races. https://t.co/evwzCp9srO
In 2022, after Brian Daboll arrived after coaching Josh Allen in Buffalo, Jones' play picked up. The team went 9-6-1 on his watch and he threw for a 3:1 touchdown to interception ratio.
Of course, the biggest elephant in the room is the total number of touchdowns he threw, with just 15.
Daniel Jones burning rubber on 4th & 1.
Not one, but TWO NFL defenders left in the dust https://t.co/oMH7d7aOOA
Despite taking his team to the playoffs and winning a playoff game, he still remains ten wins under .500 in his career. That said, one consistent improvement over the course of his career has been his completion percentage, which has steadily improved in a linear fashion.
In 2019, he completed 61.9 percent of his throws. By 2021, he was completing 64.3 percent. In 2022, he got over the two-thirds mark at 67.3 percent. However, detractors will assign credit to head coach Brian Daboll and Saquon Barkley, who saw a resurgence last season.
Looking ahead, anxiety exists for fans that Jones may take his foot off the gas after a successful season and a big pay bump.
Will the Giants remain as feisty in 2023, or did the franchise make a big mistake in putting $150 million into Daniel Jones' lap?