Ex-Giants WR Takes Shot at Jason Garrett While Defending Daniel Jones

For New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, the 2022 NFL season will be a make-or-break year. Jones is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is learning a new offense for the third time in his young career.

Former Giants wide receiver Golden Tate last played for the team in 2020, but he still recognizes Jones’ struggle from afar. Tate recently defended Jones’ talent, while also taking a swipe at former Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

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“I honestly feel bad for Daniel,” Tate told NJ.com this week. “He was drafted into a rebuilding organization for one, had Pat Shurmur for a year and then got Joe Judge for two years, now another head coach and another rebuild going into his fourth season. He hasn’t had Saquon [Barkley], myself, [Kenny] Golladay, Sterling [Shepard] — no one is ever on the field at the same time. And then on top of that, he had [Jason] Garrett and that probably didn’t help much.

“So you kind of feel bad for him … He has a lot of talent but he just hasn’t had much help due to injuries and how they set it up.”

The shot at Garrett was lethal, but it’s hard to argue with Tate on that point. As a rookie under former head coach Pat Shurmur, Jones threw a touchdown pass on 5.2 percent of his pass attempts. Once Garrett took hold of the offense under Joe Judge, that rate plummeted to 2.6 percent.

This is what Jones and Tate looked like in the Giants’ offense before Garrett took over:

(Reminder: The Patriots had the No. 1 overall defense in 2019.)

Tate saw his statistical production drop off once Garrett took over the Giants’ offense. The veteran wideout averaged 4.5 receptions and 61.5 receiving yards per game in his first season with the team, then averaged 2.9 receptions and a mere 32.3 yards per game in his second season with the team.

Tate, 33, has not played in the NFL since being released by the Giants. He is now playing in an amateur baseball league (West Coast League) for a team called the Port Angeles Lefties.

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Daniel Jones Worked Out Privately With Giants Receivers

The Giants are in between early offseason workouts and training camp, but Daniel Jones is still hard at work with his favorite targets on his own time. Jones recently worked out with Kenny Golladay, Saquon Barkley and David Sills.

Here’s a clip of Jones throwing during that workout:

Considering how many receivers were wearing red non-contact jerseys this spring, Jones needs every rep he can get with his pass-catchers as he learns the new offense under first-year head coach Brian Daboll.

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Daniel Jones Holds No Grudge Against Jason Garrett

While Golden Tate may have some pent up frustration with how he fell-off in Jason Garrett’s offense, Daniel Jones clearly does not harbor any ill will toward his former offensive coordinator. In fact, Jones recently showed up at Garrett’s football camp.

Jones was interviewed for an in-depth profile for the New York Post this offseason, and he was asked about all the coaching turnover he’s experienced in his professional career. Jones acknowledged the difficulty, but balked at the opportunity to make an excuse for his lack of sustained success.

“It doesn’t make it any easier,” Jones told the Post.

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