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 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.
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
