On Monday, the New York Giants officially benched quarterback Daniel Jones, relegating him to the QB3 spot, effectively ending his career in East Rutherford.
It was a move many saw coming after the Week 10 blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers in Germany, but a more controversial decision followed.
Instead of moving Drew Lock to a starting role and using Tommy DeVito as the backup, the Giants promoted DeVito to QB1 in an attempt to create a spark.
“After evaluating a lot of things and watching a lot of tape, that’s why we’re going with Tommy because he gave us some spark last year,” coach Brian Daboll told reporters. .
“Drew will be the backup. Keep working with him. He was nothing but a professional and so was Daniel. Talking to players is never easy. “But we felt this was the move we needed and we look forward to working with Tommy to get him ready to battle Tampa.”
Daboll declined to elaborate on why Jones was demoted to QB3 and will be inactive for the remainder of the season, but the reasons are clear. An injury clause and a $23 million 2025 salary hang over his head. Admitting this could get him in trouble with the NFLPA, so the coach tried to manipulate his comments.
Anyone can accept that answer with a wink and a nod. We know.
So why DeVito over Lock, who signed a one-year, $5 million contract during the offseason? After all, DeVito has been a healthy scratch for the last 10 games.
Pressed further, Daboll said that after evaluating the film, he suddenly discovered that DeVito was the best quarterback.
“I wanted to take the time to watch a lot of tape. Not only this year, but last year and others as well. And try to make the best decisions for our team. “I did that,” he said.
Uh-huh. We’re sure it has nothing to do with the potential escalation in Lock’s contract or the fact that the Giants have the third-least cap space in the NFL. It was just a “football decision”.
If that’s true, you’ll wonder how the Giants didn’t recognize this during the first 10 games.
Jones will likely be fired after this season, Lock will become an unrestricted free agent, and DeVito will become an exclusive rights free agent. It is entirely possible, although unlikely, that none of the three are returned.
“We’re focused on this week and the decisions we made to get these guys ready. That’s our focus.” Daboll said when asked about the future of Jones and other quarterbacks.
The irony is that DeVito was probably the best choice. But how the Giants have handled him thus far, Lock’s contract and Daboll’s answer make it a spectacle. This calls into question general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll’s ability to properly evaluate each quarter. This also raises questions about their ability to handle contracts and personnel. After all, this isn’t the first time personnel decisions have raised eyebrows.
And what if DeVito, who will be playing behind an improved offensive line compared to last time on the field, actually goes out and wins? It might save the regime, but it also costs them the opportunity for a true franchise quarterback.
Even when the current Giants regime takes the right steps, they find a way to screw it up. And that doesn’t make co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch happy.
