Quarterback Daniel Jones is headed to the bench with Tommy DeVito preparing to start for the New York Giants in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to multiple reports Monday.
The Giants emerge from their bye week with a new pecking order at quarterback, a decision foreshadowed by general manager Joe Schoen last week.
Schoen said Jones and the entire roster would be subject to evaluation of on-field performance during the bye. The GM said if Jones is benched it would not be tied to his $23 million injury guarantee.
The Giants own the league’s lowest scoring offense at an average of only 15.6 per game. New York has averaged only 13.4 points during the current five-game losing streak, with the latest setback being a 20-17 overtime loss to Carolina in Germany in which Jones threw for 190 yards and no touchdowns while getting intercepted twice.
Last week, head coach Brian Daboll declined to commit as to Jones remaining the starting quarterback coming out of the bye. Schoen echoed that sentiment a day later. Schoen insisted all decisions would be driven by what helps the Giants win games.
“It will be a football decision,” Schoen said. “Any decisions we make moving forward as we evaluate the roster and what we’re doing for the final seven games will be football decisions.”
The Giants’ interest in QB prospects in the 2024 draft was on display in the “Hard Knocks” offseason series, and they signed free agent Drew Lock from the Seattle Seahawks after meeting with Russell Wilson.
An undrafted free agent, DeVito played in nine games (six starts) as a rookie last season following Jones’ season-ending knee injury. DeVito, 26, was 3-3 as a starter, throwing for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
This season, Jones has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 2,070 yards and eight touchdowns against seven interceptions. The 27-year-old is in the second year of a four-year, $160 million contract. He is due to earn $30 million in base salary in 2025, with $12 million fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league season.
Jones’ future with the franchise has come under increased scrutiny with Daboll and Schoen acknowledging that he might not finish the season as the starter.
“We have seven games left in this season and that’s what we’re focused on,” Schoen said. “I’m focused on 2024 and how we can get better these final seven games.”
Daboll and Schoen have come under scrutiny in their third season with the franchise.
Schoen said he expected to be back with the Giants next season, but didn’t directly endorse Daboll.
“We’re 2-8. So, again, we’re going to look at solutions,” Schoen said. “(Daboll is) coming in every day. He’s working hard. The team is staying together.
“He’s done a really good job, the guys are competing, keeping the locker room together. Again, there’s a lot of things that we can look at and we need to improve on.”