While most NFL experts and fans have panned the New York Giants’ decision to give quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million extension last March, team co-owner John Mara holds a different view.
Even though things haven’t worked out as planned (yet), he’s still “happy” about it.
“I’m still happy we gave him that contract because I thought he played really well for us in 2022,” Mara said, via the New York Post. “Last year, he got hurt. And let’s be honest: When he was playing, we weren’t blocking anybody. Let’s give him a chance with a better offensive line and some weapons around him to see what he can do.”
Jones is coming off a season in which he missed 11 games, three with a neck injury and then the final eight with a torn ACL. The Giants only won one of the six games Jones appeared in and ended up finishing the season 6-11.
This offseason, they upgraded their offensive line and added multiple weapons in the receiving game in an effort to bolster the talent around Jones.
The team lost star running back Saquon Barkley in free agency but they made a slew of moves to upgrade their roster from back to front. They were almost able to strike a deal to move up in the draft to snare a quarterback, a move that made Mara a bit uneasy.
“I was nervous about giving up too much to go get a quarterback,” Mara said, “but I was prepared to let them do that if that’s what they wanted to do. We made a decision to stay with Daniel and add a weapon for him, and I think that’s going to work out.”
The Giants are heading into Year 3under general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll and Mara is expecting his team to turn the corner.
"I obviously want to show significant improvement over last year. But I'm not going to make any specific guarantees or demands. But they know what I want to see. I have a lot of confidence in this particular team"
– John Mara on heading into the third season under Brian Daboll pic.twitter.com/qlfkQHW8po
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) August 1, 2024
One of the improvements the Giants made this offseason was drafting LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is lighting up the practice field at training camp.
“I’m excited by what I see on the field,” Mara said. “He’s got some unique movement skills to him and a certain attitude about him.”
