Monitoring the Quarterback Development in New York

Both of the NFL teams hailing from New York, the Giants and the Jets, have put huge investments into two young quarterbacks. One just inked a deal that will coin him as the seventh-highest-paid quarterback in the league in Daniel Jones for the Giants. The other was the second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in Zach Wilson for the Jets.

These quarterbacks are in very different situations right now but both will need to continue to develop to be successful in the NFL. So far Wilson has not lived up to expectations and is slated to be the backup to newly acquired quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Jones had one good season following three mediocre seasons before getting a huge deal this offseason to be the franchise quarterback.

Daniel Jones

To some people’s surprise, Jones got a massive contract this offseason. After three average years in the NFL where Jones got worse every year, he had a great season last year and led the Giants to their best record since 2016 and also their first playoff appearance since then.

Now, Jones will have to live up to this contract. Last season he emerged as a top-dual threat quarterback. He ran for just 60 less yards than Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts in 2022. Jones also threw for the highest-completion percentage and yards total in his career.

While the stats are nice, the Giants’ fans just care about making the playoffs again and consistently. Jones will need to lead them there multiple more times to make this contract seem justified.

Zach Wilson

With any second-overall pick comes high expectations. Wilson started off his rookie season two years ago now. People expected some hardships in the beginning of his career like any rookie but he seemed to just get worse as time went on. Last season he was benched midseason and then the Jets brought in Aaron Rodgers to start for the foreseeable future.

So what now for Zach Wilson? He has been getting mentored by Aaron Rodgers this offseason and it has shown in the preseason so far. In two games he has completed around 70% of his passes and thrown zero interceptions. Right now he just has to prove he is a viable backup for Rodgers, which he is doing. Moving forward he could be a trade chip or replace Rodgers if he retires in a year or two.

What’s Next for these Quarterbacks?

For Daniel Jones, we may see him in limited-preseason action in week 2 and 3. What fans really care about is seeing him for the first time in the regular season September 10th against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

Zach Wilson will have another chance to show his improvements on Saturday at home in his final preseason game of the year. Fans likely won’t see him again until next preseason following Saturday, assuming the health of Aaron Rodgers this season.

By Jack Stradley, I’m a sports writer always looking for a gripping story and a hot take.