The New York Giants, particularly quarterback Daniel Jones, took all kinds of hits in Sunday’s season-opening beating by the Minnesota Vikings. So much so that some Vikings players apparently felt bad for the quarterback.
During An interview on KFAN 100.3 in MinneapolisVikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard talked about the emotions his teammates felt when they limited Jones to 186 yards on 22-of-42 passing, intercepted him twice and sacked him five times in his home stadium. The Vikings won 28-6.
Giants fans weren’t silent, and Vikings fans heard it too. According to Greenard, they felt both pride and pity:
“We heard the boos and thought, ‘Well, we’re on our side of the ball now,’ but when they started booing, to the point of being as loud as a third down should be when they’re on defense, it was pretty bad.
“We’re starting to feel a little bad for him because we’re still taking away everything he wants to do. It’s good to be on the other side, and our job is not to be on the other side.”
Greenard said he understands to some extent what Jones and the Giants are going through. Before signing a four-year, $76 million contract with the Vikings last season, Greenard became a prominent figure for the Houston Texans.
The Texans went a combined 11-38 in Greenard’s first three seasons in Houston before breaking through with rookie quarterback CJ Stroud last season.
Greenard said:
“I’ve been in Houston for the last four years where I’ve been a part of that. I’ve been a part of those boos when you’re walking on the field and your offense isn’t making anything happen. You’d think it’s a road game right now. But at that point, you know how we were attacking him and understanding where he’s at in his career based obviously on the scheme that he’s in, whatever contract is going on.
“We understand he’s dealing with a lot of things, and if we can add another aspect of pressure on the guy to get him to speed up his reads a little bit more, make sure he’s not feeling confident and comfortable in the pocket, that was a great feeling to see in the first couple series.”
The Giants have a combined 22-37-1 record under Jones after selecting him sixth overall in 2019. Some wondered if the team would move on last offseason after a disastrous 2023 season, but the Giants opted not to select another QB with the sixth overall pick in 2024, instead giving Jones a new weapon in wide receiver Malik Nabers.
Walking away from Jones’ four-year, $160 million contract signed in March 2023 was nearly impossible last offseason. It won’t be as difficult next spring, when cutting him would save the team $19.4 million in cap space and $22.2 million in dead money, according to the report. About the cap.
If the rest of this season is anything like the season opener, Giants fans will be hoping to get their own Stroud in the 2025 NFL Draft.