Getty Is Daniel Jones' time with the Giants coming to an end?
One thing is for certain, Daniel Jones will not play another down for the New York Giants this season. After missing the past three games with a neck injury, the team opted to shut down their starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2021 season. Yet, while the third-year signal-caller is expected to make a full recovery, the question of whether he’ll be taking snaps under center in East Rutherford next season remains unanswered.
Of course, head coach Joe Judge has remained adamant in his public backing of Jones — as he should. Still, with an expected GM change, two projected top-six picks in April’s draft and Jones’ health at least somewhat unclear, it’s fair to wonder if the Giants could be handing the keys to their offense to a new quarterback come 2022. While Russell Wilson would almost unanimously be the preferred heir to Jones under center, there’s no certainty that Seattle would even entertain the idea of moving him. And even if they were, any deal for the eight-time Pro Bowler would come at an astronomical price.
Instead, the Giants could prefer to take the more frugal route and drop down a tier or two in the quarterback market, which according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano could lead them towards taking a swing at Las Vegas Raiders backup, Marcus Mariota.
Mariota Floated as QB Option for Giants
“It wasn’t that long ago that he was the second overall pick in the draft (2015) and he’s still only 28 years old,” wrote Vacchiano, who named Mariota as a QB option for the Giants if they move on from Jones. “He never lived up to his lofty potential, but his first two years in the NFL weren’t bad. He can throw, he can run and there are some NFL people who think he can still play in the right situation.”
Mariota, 28, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason after two years of playing second-fiddle to Derek Carr in Sin City. Vacchiano believes a move to the East Coast could pave a path for the former Heisman Trophy Winner to once again re-establish himself as a starting quarterback in the league — or at the very least, push Jones next season.
“The Giants probably aren’t a ‘right situation’ for anybody, but he might be the best bet of an old, backup-heavy free-agent crop,” Vacchiano said of Mariota. “He could be an interesting stop-gap for a couple of years until the Giants find another Quarterback of the Future. Might be worth bringing him to compete with Jones next year, at least.”
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Mariota Boasts a Winning Pedigree & Playoff Experience
The Oregon great has played extremely sparingly over the past two seasons, starting zero games and attempting just 28 passes. However, before being surpassed by Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee back in 2019, Mariota started 61 of his 63 games in a Titans uniform. During that time, he led them to an AFC Wild Card victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 and finished with a record above .500 (a total of 24 wins and 19 losses) as a starter in three straight seasons (from 2016-18).
Mariota has always boasted a favorable win-loss record, even dating back to his college days when he quarterbacked the Ducks to a 36-5 record over his three seasons in Eugene. Of course, the same can’t be said about the Giants of late, who recently clinched their fifth-consecutive losing season and who have missed the playoffs in nine of the last 10 years.
Chances are he won’t be New York’s first pick. Then again, the same could have been said in regards to Tennesse and Tannehill just a few years back and that turned out pretty well. As Vacchiano highlighted, Mariota is likely the most intriguing fair-priced quarterback on the open market this offseason, one that possesses an appealing dual-threat skillset and a favorable resume. The Giants could do a lot worse than Mariota, even if he’s nothing more than a stopgap solution.