Drew Lock clears the air on speculation of replacing Daniel Jones as Giants' starter
Drew Lock will join the New York Giants on a one-year, $5 million contract after spending two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
However, he made it clear that he won’t be coming in to compete with Daniel Jones for the starting quarterback role. As Lock said in the Mar. 16 APNews.com article by Tom Canavan:
“Daniel Jones is the starter of this team. Now, I need to come in and push Daniel to be the best that he can be.”
If that’s the case, it contradicts what Seahawks general manager John Schneider said during his Mar. 15 appearance on 710 Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob Show that he “basically sold him (Lock) on the opportunity to compete to be the starter.”
Schneider compared Drew Lock’s situation to Baker Mayfield’s resurgence with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading to the former Heisman Trophy winner’s three-year, $100 million contract extension.
However, as Lock said, Jones remains the Giants starter, especially after signing the former Duke standout to a four-year, $160 million contract extension during the 2023 offseason. New York’s NFC team would like to get the most out of that investment, which includes a $36 million signing bonus and $81 million guaranteed at signing.
Lock isn’t new to being the backup, a role he fulfilled for Geno Smith during his Seahawks tenure. While he didn't play during the 2022 season, the former Missouri standout played relief duties in four games during the 2023 season and started in Weeks 14 and 15.
Lock had 48 completions for 543 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Meanwhile, he also played backup for Teddy Bridgewater during the 2021 Denver Broncos season.
However, if Giants coach Brian Daboll feels like Jones is playing at par with his contract, Drew Lock declared his readiness to step into the starting quarterback role. He said in the same APNews.com article by Canavan:
“I’ve had both sides of this. I’ve been a guy to push the starter, I’ve been a guy that’s been pushed by the backups. It’s about making that room the best it can be. If we can do that, the sky’s the limit for that.”
Aside from Lock, Tommy DeVito will be backing up Jones.
Drew Lock’s journey from starter to backup
The Broncos selected Lock in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft after the Paxton Lynch experiment failed.
Like his predecessor, the 2017 First Team All-SEC member had big shoes to fill because Peyton Manning helped the franchise win Super Bowl 50 to cap off the 2015 season.
However, he didn't see out his rookie contract with the Broncos. Instead, he was one of three players (Shelby Harris and Noah Fant being the others) and five picks that Denver traded to Seattle for quarterback Russell Wilson.
In five NFL seasons, Drew Lock has a 9-14 record as a starter. He tallied 469 completions for 5,283 yards, 28 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in 28 games.