Insider shares big Daniel Jones prediction after viral Giants story

In a mailbag published on Thursday, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY essentially confirmed that NFL Network personality Rich Eisen was spot on when Eisen shared earlier this week that Giants general manager Joe Schoen is "absolutely done" with starting quarterback Daniel Jones. 

"Jones will be on the roster in 2024," Hughes explained. "He’ll likely be the Giants' Week 1 starter. He won’t be with them in 2025 and beyond, though." 

The Giants hold the sixth overall pick in this year's draft and have essentially been linked in mock drafts and stories with just about every top-tier quarterback prospect other than Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans. It's widely believed the Chicago Bears have already decided to make Williams the draft's first selection. 

Much has been made about how poorly Jones played this past fall before he suffered a torn ACL on Nov. 5. However, Hughes indicated that Jones' knee injury coupled with the fact that the 26-year-old missed a total of nine games from 2021-23 because of worrisome neck-related issues will force Schoen to act before or during the draft. 

"It’s not that the Giants don’t believe Jones can play," Hughes insisted. "He’s a player that, when surrounded with a good supporting cast, can take you into the playoffs. He won’t be the reason the Giants win a Super Bowl, but there is belief he can be the quarterback of a team that gets there. The problem with Jones is his injury history. The Giants can’t trust him anymore." 

The Giants have to wait until next offseason to escape the four-year contract Jones signed last March, and that seemingly is a big reason why it's unclear when Schoen may take a quarterback during the upcoming draft. Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports predicted earlier in the week that Schoen may have to trade a reported three second-round selections along with the sixth pick to avoid missing out on whoever is available at No. 5 among Jayden Daniels of the LSU Tigers, Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels and J.J. McCarthy of the Michigan Wolverines. 

With that said, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports forecasted on Wednesday that both McCarthy and Maye could be on the board when the Giants are called to use the sixth pick on the night of April 25. On Tuesday, Jordan Reid of ESPN suggested that Schoen could wait and grab Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix in the draft's second round. 

In Reid's scenario, Jones presumably could play well enough (if he stays healthy) to continue sharing the Giants' quarterback room with Nix through 2025. Hughes doesn't envision that occurring, but too much about the situation is unknown ahead of the new league year that begins this coming Wednesday.