John Mara declares ‘No. 1 issue’ for Giants offseason after disastrous 2024

John Mara declares ‘No. 1 issue’ for Giants offseason after disastrous 2024

John Mara is putting the search for a franchise quarterback atop the Giants’ to-do list.

“That’s obviously the No. 1 issue for us going into this offseason — to find our quarterback of the future,” Mara said Monday, after his decision to retain general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. “Whether that be draft or acquiring a veteran will be up to them to decide.”

But Mara notably did not commit to avoiding the Daniel Jones cycle of failure by guaranteeing that Schoen and Daboll would remain in their jobs for two more seasons.

Daniel Jones USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

The Giants fired head coach and play-caller Pat Shurmur after Jones’ promising rookie season and the 2019 first-round draft pick never looked the same. Mara infamously said in 2022 that the Giants had done everything possible to “screw up” Jones.

Well, if the Giants are going to draft either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, shouldn’t that quarterback get at least two years with the same regime?

“I’m not going to put any kind of time limit on it,” Mara said, “but I understand where you are going with that.”

Shedeur Sanders USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Cam Ward (1) Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

If Schoen and Daboll are on the H๏τ seat, they could feel motivated to act out of self-preservation and force a quarterback draft pick rather than make honest scouting ᴀssessments.

Schoen and Daboll have a spotty record thus far on their quarterback evaluations: They decided to extend Jones on a four-year, $160 million contract, pᴀssed on drafting Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons) and Bo Nix (Broncos) in the 2024 draft before both showed varied levels of promise as rookies.

Schoen signed Drew Lock to be their backup to Jones and then Daboll bypᴀssed Lock for Tommy DeVito when Jones was cut, and then went back to Lock over DeVito.

But the Jones decision is the biggest miss that turned the direction of the franchise on its head. By keeping Schoen and Daboll, are they absolved of that mistake?

“No,” Mara said. “We made a decision at the end of the 2022 season based on how Daniel had played that we were going to sign him to that contract. I approved that.”

Drafting Sanders or Ward would’ve been much easier if the Giants lost in Week 17 to the Colts and had the No. 1 overall pick.

“If I had thought that we were tanking either one of those games, I would’ve fired everybody,” Mara said. “We are never going to do that in this organization as long as I’m standing on this side of the grᴀss.”

Related Posts

Pittsburgh Steelers dealt major injury blow as quarterback is ruled out for weeks with broken hand

Pittsburgh Steelers dealt major injury blow as quarterback is ruled out for weeks with broken hand

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback room was dented Tuesday as it emerged that one of its rising signal callers suffered an injury setback.  Will Howard, who was selected…

Scott Hanson reveals fate after ESPN’s new billion-dollar deal to takeover RedZone sparks fan meltdown

Scott Hanson reveals fate after ESPN’s new billion-dollar deal to takeover RedZone sparks fan meltdown

Scott Hanson has confirmed he will be retained as host of NFL RedZone after ESPN’s new billion-dollar deal acquired the show and sparked a fan meltdown that…

Shedeur Sanders finally gets some good news from Cleveland Browns after humiliating start to NFL life

Shedeur Sanders finally gets some good news from Cleveland Browns after humiliating start to NFL life

Shedeur Sanders may not be down in the dumps after all, as he is expected to start the Cleveland Browns’ first preseason game on Friday against the…

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift hit major relationship milestone as couple ‘are spotted house hunting in Cleveland’

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift hit major relationship milestone as couple ‘are spotted house hunting in Cleveland’

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift appear to be taking their relationship to the next level as they reportedly hit a major milestone earlier this year.  The Kansas…

Travis Kelce’s new teammate Robert Tonyan gushes about what it’s like to play with Chiefs star

Travis Kelce’s new teammate Robert Tonyan gushes about what it’s like to play with Chiefs star

New Chiefs тιԍнт end Robert Tonyan has provided a glowing review of what it’s like to play with Travis Kelce as the pair get to know one…

Jordan Addison banned for three games by NFL after DUI arrest

Jordan Addison banned for three games by NFL after DUI arrest

Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has been suspended by the NFL following a DUI arrest last year. Addison struck a plea deal with prosecutors last month as…