The Giants benched quarterback Daniel Jones and the Jets terminated general manager Joe Douglas all within a 24-hour period this week. Both actions illuminate the ongoing instability of the two franchises that have combined for two playoff appearances, both by the Giants (2016 and 2022), in the last 13 seasons — 14 when the regular season ends in January.
The Giants are 2-8 and the Jets 3-8. Jones and Douglas are deserving casualties but not the essence of their teams’ failures. The Giants and Jets were in states of losing before either arrived in New York. The 27-year-old Jones was drafted by the Giants with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft as the heir apparent to two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning. Douglas was signed to a six-year contract in 2019 with the charge to build them into a Super Bowl contender. Instead, the Jets are 30-64 since beginning that mission.
The finger pointing that regularly surrounds the Giants and Jets should be firmly directed at the respective organization’s owners — the Giants co-owner John Mara and Jets CEO Robert “Woody” Johnson. They have the final say on coaching and key personnel decisions, many of which have been disastrous. The Giants signing Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract extension prior to the 2023 season has proven to be ill-fated and the Jets’ empowering quarterback Aaron Rodgers to dictate coaching hires such as demoted former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was manifestly imprudent.
Now Mara and Johnson are experiencing the severe fallout of their errors. Jones has been replaced by backup Tommy DeVito not so much for his substandard performance but due to an injury clause in his contract. If Jones were to sustain an injury and couldn’t pass a physical next March, he would be guaranteed $23 million next season. The Giants will either trade or cut Jones in the off-season so didn’t want to take the risk of him being prohibitively injured over the final seven games.
Ironically, his last game as a Giant wasn’t even in this country. Jones and the Giants took a 20-17 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany on November 10.
“So, we’re making a quarterback switch here from Daniel and we’re going to go with Tommy,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll informed the media on Monday. “I spoke with all the quarterbacks this morning before our morning meeting and let them know the direction that we’re going. Those are never easy conversations.”
Jones and his representatives had to be unambiguously aware that the move was coming. As for Douglas, on Tuesday, Johnson released an obligatory statement regarding Douglas’s firing.
“Today, I informed Joe Douglas he will no longer serve as the general manager of the New York Jets. I want to thank Joe for his commitment to the Jets over the last six years and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
The Giants have not won the Super Bowl or been there since 2012. The Jets only appearance and win was in 1969. As the Giants prepare to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday at MetLife Stadium and the Jets are on their bye-week, they remain trapped in a continuous loop of losing seasons.