It's understandable that the New York Giants continue to be linked with potential replacements for quarterback Daniel Jones even before the 2022 NFL season gets underway.
Current Giants general manager Joe Schoen was only hired this past winter and, thus, had nothing to do with the club spending a first-round pick on Jones during the 2019 NFL Draft. Jones hasn't done himself a plethora of favors over the years, as he has struggled to remain healthy and also accumulated 29 interceptions and 20 lost fumbles in only 38 career games.
The 25-year-old is still learning the system installed by head coach and former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll but is in the final year of his rookie contract after the Giants declined his fifth-year option earlier this spring. In short, Jones has more going against him than for him as he finds himself on the figurative hot seat this summer.
Logic suggests that Schoen and Daboll will want to pick their own QB1 next year. For a preseason mock draft published Thursday, ESPN's Jordan Reid named Florida Gators product Anthony Richardson as the to-be rookie who will replace Jones on the roster via the 2023 player-selection process.
"GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll helped develop Josh Allen in Buffalo, and they could do the same with Richardson, a toolsy yet inexperienced passer," Reid wrote. "Evaluators will be watching Richardson closer than any other player this year, now that he is Florida's unquestioned QB1 after rotating series in multiple games last season. With a 6-foot-4, 232-pound frame and strong arm, he has the traits to be a very high draft pick, but the sample size is just too small (66 passes and 58 rushing attempts) and the consistency isn't quite there yet. The Giants did not pick up Daniel Jones' fifth-year option, so they will likely be in the QB market next offseason."
It's worth noting that Richardson wouldn't have to start for the Giants right out of the gates if he's raw as a first-year pro. Current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was recently mentioned as a future "bridge option" for Big Blue, as he was coached by Daboll while serving as a backup for the Bills last season.
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