Daniel Jones is looking forward to the start of the 2024 NFL season and a return to the New York Giants. His 2023 season came to an end when he tore his ACL, and that meant Jones was unable to show head coach Brian Daboll that he was worth the four-year, $160 million deal he signed prior to the start of last season.

Jones was injured in the sixth game of the season and he won’t be able to return to action until this season. Some believe the Giants erred in giving the quarterback an extension even though he had not proven himself in his first four seasons in the NFL. As a result of a largely mediocre showing, it was expected the Giants would select an elite quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Giants could not complete a deal with the New England Patriots that would have given them the No. 3 pick, so it appears they are committed to working with Jones in the future. Jones knows that there was talk that the Giants might go in a different direction, but he is focused on his recovery at this point.

“I’m focused on what I can control and that is preparing to play good football. So, getting healthy and I’ll be ready to go,” Jones said.

The Giants drafted a potential star at the wide receiver position in Malik Nabers with their first-round selection. That means that when he is able to return to practice — he says he will be good to go in training camp — that he should have an improved WR crew on hand.

Jones must step up in 2024 season

The Giants should have a fairly productive crew at the wide receiver position with Nabers, Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robins. Backups Jalin Hyatt, Isaiah Hodgins and Isaiah McKenzie have a chance to give the Giants decent depth at the position.

Jones needs to take advantage of the talent and depth he will have at his disposal. He was on top of his game when the Giants beat the Vikings in the Wild Card game on the road following the 2022 season, but he has been largely ordinary besides that game.

Jones completed 317 of 472 passes for 3,205 yards with 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions that season. He has never come close to matching the 24 TD passes he threw in 2019 when he was a 22-year-old rookie.

The likelihood is that Daniel Jones will have to come through with his best season 2024. If he does not throw at least 20 TD passes and the Giants don’t return to the NFC playoffs, it seems certain that the team will have to go in another direction at the quarterback position.

It is very unlikely that six elite quarterbacks will go within the first 12 picks of the draft once again, so the team may be in a poor position for the future if the giants lose faith in Jones.

The former Duke quarterback was the Giants first-round pick in the 2019 Draft, the No. 6 selection overall.