The New York Giants were a big surprise in the NFL last season. They weren’t projected to win a lot of games, although they proved everyone wrong by getting to the playoffs. That put them in an unexpected position regarding Daniel Jones.
The hiring of Brian Daboll as head coach ended up having the quarterback as the main winner. Despite not having any threatening weapons aside from running back Saquon Barkley, the team looked more than competent. The offense was nothing like it was in the previous regime, so the growth was evident.
Jones proved to be good enough to win, improving a ton in taking care of the football. With his glaring weakness figured out, the team started to get victories. His performances granted him a very expensive extension that was questioned by many, but a franchise legend jumped in to defend the passer.
Eli Manning weighs in onJones’ future
The quarterback led New York to a 9-6-1 record, and a trip to the divisional round after defeating the Minnesota Vikings on the road. His passing numbers were very discrete since he finished 15th in the league with 3,205 passing yards, 25th in passing yards per game with 200.3, and 21st in passing touchdowns with 15.
Jones mainly contributed with his impressive running ability, gaining 708 yards and scoring seven times on the ground. Those performances forced the Giants to give him a four-year deal worth 160 million dollars. That annual average value of 40M received a high level of criticism, although the quarterback has a franchise legend like Eli Manning on his side.
“I was so happy for Daniel. He’s done everything the right way. He’s done everything they have ever asked him to do. ‘You have to run it 12 times today’, ‘sure, I’ll run it, I’ll throw it’. He knew he had to cut down on the fumbles and the turnovers, and he’s done that. He’s work at it, he’s been conscious of it. He’s a true professional. He’s a great leader, guys respect him. I’m excited for him and I think he will continue to grow in that offense. I think he’ll continue to get stronger and better”, Manning said on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’.