The Giants benched quarterback Daniel Jones for business reasons, not for football reasons. And the Giants allowed personal feelings to interfere with what would have been the best business decision — prevent him from going elsewhere and proving the Giants wrong, Saquon-style.
But they’re going to waive him. Even though they haven’t done it, the owner has said it’s going to happen. (The reason for the delay isn’t clear, but it’s clearly coming.)
While many have adopted the narrative that Jones stinks, he doesn’t. He hasn’t. He helped lead the Giants to the playoffs in 2022. With Jones at the helm, the Giants beat the Vikings in Minnesota in the wild-card round. His struggles have typically traced to subpar offensive line play.
Once he’s released and clears waivers (he absolutely will), Jones will be free to sign with any team at any time. He’ll first need to ask whether to join a team now or wait.
Waiting would allow Jones to get a better feel for who the real contenders will be — and it might give him a chance to play sooner than later, if a starter gets injured elsewhere.
Regardless, consider the backup situations for the various contenders and ask whether a guy who earned a contract that paid $40 million per year and won a playoff game would be better than the current No. 2.
Buffalo: Mitch Trubisky. (Probably.)
Miami: Skylar Thompson/Tyler Huntley. (Yes.)
Baltimore: Josh Johnson. (Yes.)
Pittsburgh: Justin Fields. (Yes, but they seem to be committed to Fields as current backup and potential future starter.)
Houston: Davis Mills. (Yes.)
Kansas City: Carson Wentz. (Probably.)
L.A. Chargers: Easton Stick. (Yes.)
Denver: Jarrett Stidham. (Yes.)
Philadelphia: Kenny Pickett. (Yes.)
Washington: Marcus Mariota. (Probably.)
Detroit: Hendon Hooker. (Yes.)
Minnesota: Nick Mullens. (Yes.)
Green Bay: Malik Willis. (Yes, although Willis has played well this year.)
Atlanta: Michael Penix Jr. (Yes, but they likely wouldn’t do it.)
Tampa Bay: Kyle Trask. (Yes.)
Arizona: Clayton Tune. (Yes.)
Seattle: Sam Howell. (Yes.)
San Francisco: Brandon Allen. (Yes.)
L.A. Rams: Jimmy Garoppolo. (Probably.)
So, yes, someone who is currently contending should want Jones. Jones can afford to take his time. To wait for a clear shot to potentially contribute on a team that has the ability to go deep into the playoffs.
And maybe to wait to see if/when a starter gets injured and an immediate need arises for Jones to play, sooner than later.
Cardinals defensive lineman Darius Robinson could make his NFL debut Sunday.
Neither he nor coach Jonathan Gannon committed to Robinson playing this week, but he had three limited practices in his return from a calf injury. The team lists him as questionable to play against the Seahawks.
Robinson injured his calf in an Aug. 22 practice, sending him to injured reserve to start the season. The Cardinals designated him to return Oct. 9, and he had a limited practice.
But Robinson’s mother died, so he didn’t practice again until this week.
The Cardinals ruled out safety Jalen Thompson (ankle) and list linebacker Xavier Thomas (back) and offensive lineman Jonah Williams (knee) as questionable.
The team added Thomas to the practice report Friday. Williams was limited all week but is trending toward a return.
Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins will return to the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals.
Coach Mike Macdonald announced that the team will activate Jenkins back to the 53-player roster Saturday. Jenkins returned to practice this week, opening his 21-day window, and he was a full participant in all three practices.
He missed four games with a hand injury that required surgery after Week 6.
Jenkins has 38 tackles and a fumble recovery, which he returned 102 yards for a touchdown in a loss to the Giants.
The Seahawks have ruled out tight end Brady Russell (foot), according to Macdonald. Wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (back) and tight end Noah Fant (groin) are questionable.
The Seahawks’ team facility returned to full power Friday, according to multiple reports from beat writers.
The Virginia Mason Athletic Center lost power as a result of severe winds that hit Tuesday night. The team spent two days working off generators with limited electricity and cold showers.
The bomb cyclone, carrying winds of 50-75 mph, killed two people in western Washington and knocked out power to half a million people.
“For the most part, the prep has been great,” quarterback Geno Smith said Thursday. “Obviously, without power at home, it’s going to hinder some things, but guys have been doing a great job at studying. It allows you to spend extra hours at the facility, you know, if you don’t [have] power at home. You’ve got power here, so you can spend extra hours here and just study.
“We’re not going to use it as an excuse. There’s a lot of people without power, and we’re just blessed to be able to come to work and still do our jobs.”
The Seahawks are still dealing with the effects of a severe weather event that hit Western Washington this week.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, the team’s facility continues to not have power on Thursday, and there is also no hot water.
The club worked off of backup generators on Wednesday and is still doing so. While practice will still be at the facility in Renton, Wash., on Thursday, the club may move Friday’s practice to Lumen Field.
The bomb cyclone, carrying winds of 50-75 mph, killed two people in western Washington and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands.
The 5-5 Seahawks are set to host a divisional matchup with the 6-4 Cardinals on Sunday.
