It’s hard to imagine that many people thought that the following words would be uttered after the first five games of the Giants’ season. But is it time to start talking about an extension for Daniel Jones?
The Giants QB had one of his best performances on Sunday in London where he helped orchestrate a come-from-behind win over the Green Bay Packers. It was a game where Jones completed 21 of the 27 passes he attempted and threw a season-high 217 yards.
Jones’ 77.8 completion percentage was the second-highest of his career.
“I thought (Daniel Jones) had an excellent game and he’s had a few of those,” Brian Daboll said after Sunday’s win. “Maybe his stats don’t reflect it, but he’s led his team down to wins. He’s played good at crunch time coming back from a little bit of an ankle.”
But Jones’ feat Sunday to lead the Giants to their best start since they went 5-0 in 2009, should be noted not just for his stats. Jones was battling an ankle that was still bothering him after injuring it the week before, New York missing four receivers who were dealing with their own injuries and at one point his hand started to bleed.
Add to all of that he had a surprising 37 yards on the ground on 10 carries.
Even beyond that, Jones has managed to give his team a chance to win week in and week out despite the uncertainty he faced going into training camp about his future. And it would be hard to envision the Giants off the 4-1 start they find themselves off to had it not been for Jones as the signal caller.
“He has very good leadership amongst the team,” Daboll said. “Players got a lot of respect for him and I know the coaches do too. We have confidence in him. He’s done a really good job for our football team and the things that we have asked him to do, he’s done them well. I’m glad he’s our quarterback.”
The biggest question expected this season had been whether Jones would show enough for the Giants to keep him around. New general manager Joe Schoen had opted not to pick up the fifth year of Jones’ contract during the offseason, which wasn’t unexpected.
The Giants’ coaching staff and front office have remained publically supportive of Jones and the QB has rewarded that thus far with a good showing. His stats may be near the middle of the pack among NFL quarterbacks, but Jones has given the front office something to think about.
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With an improved offensive line in front of him, he has had more of a chance to be a threat on the field and as the Giants’ receiving group gets healthier it would only give him more weapons to choose from through the air.
Five weeks into the year is still a small sample size, but Jones has certainly given Schoen something to chew on when thinking about Jones’ future with the Giants is beyond this season.
