Daniel Jones Is Entering 'Make-or-Break' Year, Says Giants Great Victor Cruz

5 min read
Sep 15, 2024, 8:04 AM
Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

 

The New York Giants didn't exactly get off to a hot start in Week 1.

The Giants were dominated at home, falling to the Minnesota Vikings 28-6 in their season opener. The loss was highlighted by quarterback Daniel Jones' struggles as the veteran quarterback threw two interceptions - both of them in the red zone - including one that was returned for a touchdown and sealed the loss for the Giants.

Former Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Victor Cruz knows a thing or two about playing - and thriving - in the biggest market in the country. Cruz helped lead New York to a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI after posting a franchise-record 1,536 receiving yards during the 2011 season, earning him a Second-Team All-Pro selection.

While Cruz isn't ready to push the panic button on Jones and the Giants just yet, he does stress that this is a make-or-break year for the former No. 6 overall draft pick.

"For Daniel Jones, this is a make-or-break year for him," says Cruz in an interview with RG.org of Jones on behalf of his partnership with Captain Morgan. "I think he knows that, I think he feels that and I think he understands that. He knows if he doesn't perform well this year that the Giants could potentially be looking elsewhere to fill that void at the quarterback position. That either is going to make or break you as a player - it's either going to make you dig deep and play well, find your playmakers and make things happen, or the moment can be too big for you and you can't rise to the level they need you to, you go play somewhere else."

Jones obviously struggled during the Vikings game, going just 22-for-42 while averaging 4.4 yards per attempt and posting a 44.3 passer rating. It's been an overall struggle for Jones since signing his four-year, $160 million contract prior to the start of the 2023 season, as the veteran quarterback has posted a 1-6 record with an interception percentage that has ballooned to 3.97%.

Cruz acknowledges that while Jones has handled the media and fan criticism well, he ultimately has to start "rising up" more by playing better.

"Listen man, it's hard to play in New York," says Cruz, who played for the Giants for seven years. "It's tough to play here. Not everyone's built or cut to play for the New York Giants. It's tough media wise every day - win, lose or draw. You're going to have people saying things about you more so when you lose, obviously. I think he's handled most of it fairly well, but his play on the field has to start rising up a little bit more. Especially now, I feel like he's probably had the most playmakers on the field offensively than he's had his entire career there."

There's little doubt that Jones is on the hot seat. While he's currently in the midst of the second year of his deal, there is an out in his contract during the 2025 offseason that could see the Giants simply cut ties with him with just a $22 million dead cap hit over the remaining two seasons of his contract.

Whether Jones rises to the occasion or not, Cruz predicts that the Giants will make a move for a quarterback next offseason.

"Even if Daniel Jones plays out of his mind the rest of the year and he plays well, I think they're going to be in a position where they want to have an insurance plan as a backup if Daniel performs well or as a person that can step in and play if they feel like they need to fill that void or get more production out of the quarterback position," says Cruz. "I think they'll definitely be in the hunt for a quarterback that can either fill in - whether that's in free agency or what's out there - or go to the college ranks and see what's available to them. They're going to be looking for something of the future."

Cruz goes so far as to say that he believes the Giants could look for a quarterback high in the draft in the first or second round for Jones' potential future replacement. Potential first-round picks at quarterback in next year's draft is Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Miami's Cam Ward, USC's Miller Moss and Georgia's Carson Beck.

"I think they're going to want to get a quarterback that can be the guy in the future for them, be the guy that they can depend on moving forward," says Cruz. "Obviously, those quarterbacks are typically in the first or second round."

We'll see if Jones can turn things around moving forward, but it's clear the clock is ticking on his time in New York.

DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes on a weekly basis. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His previous experience includes working as a lead NBA writer at CBS Sports and 247 Sports in addition to working as a beat reporter covering the NFL and the Denver Broncos at Bleacher Report. Follow Siddiqi for exclusive one-on-one interviews and analysis on key topics in sports

Interests:
NFL
NBA
NCAAF
NCAAB
NHL
Travel
Interviews

More RG Exclusive Interviews

Next

NFL Writers

Crissy Froyd
Crissy Froyd
Football Reporter

Crissy Froyd is a sports reporter of over 10 years who specializes in quarterback analysis at the high school, college and NFL level. She was mentored by Mike Leach and learned the Air Raid offense and quarterback evaluation largely under the legendary head coach. Froyd has appeared in and worked with multiple publications, including USA TODAY SMG, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and Saturday Down South. She also covers canine journalism for Showsight Magazine and resides in Wisconsin with her three dogs -- two German Shepherds named Faxon and Bo Nix, and one Siberian Husky named Stetson "Balto" Bennett.

Paul M. Banks
Paul M. Banks
Sports Reporter

Paul M. Banks is a professional Content Creator whose career has seen bylines in numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Yahoo, MSN, FOX Sports and Sports Illustrated.

Banks has made scores of guest appearances on live radio and television, featuring regularly on NTD News, WGN-TV, CCTV, ESPN Radio, the History Channel, SiriusXM and CBS Sports Radio.

He is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank.net, which has been featured and linked in hundreds of leading media outlets all across the world.

He has also authored two books, one of which, "No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in Sports Media," became an assigned textbook in journalism courses at State University New York-Oneonta.

Jim Biringer
Jim Biringer
Reporter

Having 10 years of experience (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Rod Pedersen Show, Raw Mike Richards Show, and more) covering the Devils, the NHL along with College Football, the NFL, and the tennis circuit Jim Biringer has wealth of sports knowledge. As one of Jim's hockey coaches put it he is a "student of the game." During his time as a sports reporter, Biringer has covered some of the biggest events including most recently the 2024 Stanley Cup Final along with several NHL Drafts. He is also the host of the Full Press Hockey Podcast and Final Word on Hockey plus Around Campus - The College Football Podcast.

Aaron WIlson
Aaron WIlson
NFL Reporter

Aaron Wilson is an award-winning Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and www.click2houston.com. He has covered the NFL since 1997, including previous stints for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. This marks his 10th year covering the Texans after previously covering a Super Bowl winning team in Baltimore. He has also covered the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. A Washington, D.C. native, Wilson played college football at East Carolina University where he was a linebacker. Aaron and his wife live in Houston and enjoy traveling and trying new restaurants.

Show More