Kerry Collins knows how it feels to see the New York Giants use a first-round draft pick at his position. The quarterback who guided the Giants to the 2001 Super Bowl has warned Daniel Jones to prepare for the exit if it happens again.
Speculation has grown the Giants will select a new QB1 in the 2024 NFL draft. Even if it means trading up from the sixth-overall pick.
Collins saw the Giants trade to acquire Eli Manning back in 2004, and the veteran starter knew what the move meant. As Collins put it, “Unless the guy’s just an absolute, total flop, your days are numbered. You draft somebody that high, everybody is clamoring to see him on the field and see what he can do. They’re counting down the days until you’re not in there anymore and the other guy is in. That’s just the way it is,” per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
While he acknowledged the Giants were ultimately right to bet on Manning, who would win two Super Bowls, Collins still remembers being stung on draft day. He hopes Jones understands the implications: “It’s basically saying, ‘We don’t believe in you anymore, we’re going to bring in somebody else.’ I’m sure if it happens that way, Daniel will be a pro and he’ll do what he has to do, but he knows he’s out of there at some point. Some point soon.”
There are differences between the situations faced by Collins and Jones. Yet, not enough of a difference for Jones to still think he has a future if the Giants draft a J.J. McCarthy, Jayden Daniels or even a Drake Maye.
Kerry Collins Faced Slightly Different Situation
It was easier for the Giants to release Collins than it would be to send Jones packing, according to Schwartz: “Jones is guaranteed $36 million for the 2024 season and thus he is un-cuttable.”
Even so, there are some similarities between what Collins faced and what Jones might have to deal with after draft day. Collins had been firmly ensconced as the starter, despite some inconsistencies.
He played some exceptional football during the 2000 season, en route to the Super Bowl. Notably, throwing five touchdowns to highlight a 41-0 demolition of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game.
Collins followed that career-defining display by tossing four interceptions against Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens as part of a lopsided 34-7 defeat in the Super Bowl.
An indifferent 2001 season followed, before Collins bounced back in style a year later. He directed a high-powered offense featuring Tiki Barber, Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey that propelled the Giants to the postseason, only to suffer an epic playoff collapse agains the San Francisco 49ers.
Collins threw just 13 touchdowns compared with 16 interceptions during his final season at the controls in 2023. There are shades of his erratic tenure as starter in the way Jones has performed.
Daniel Jones at a Crossroads
Jones’ story is more than familiar by now. A banner season in 2022 earned him a four-year, $160-million contract, but turnovers and injuries meant he’s struggled to live up to those terms.
Now, the 26-year-old is recovering from a torn ACL and facing the prospect the Giants are prepared to trade picks to find his successor. It’s a tough reality, but the stakes won’t really change for Jones if the Giants do draft a quarterback. Not immediately at least.
He’ll still need to prove he can stay fully healthy. He’ll still need to prove he can protect the football and make the right reads.
If he can’t, the Giants had better be in a position to replace him sooner rather than later.
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