Daniel Jones' time as the New York Giants' starting quarterback reached its conclusion this week.
It was a move many saw coming, but that didn't make it any easier for Jones' friend and fellow 2019 NFL Draft alum to support.
Thus, in the aftermath of Jones' benching, Giants defensive line standout Dexter Lawrence has made it known he disagrees with the switch.
"That's my best friend," Lawrence said on Tuesday, via The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll, when speaking at a Campbell's Soup "Chunky Sacks Hunger" charity event. "It's tough for that to happen. I can't control it. They made the decision based off their evaluations and their thoughts and feelings. … That's my boy. As a player, you got to keep playing. As a human and as a brother, I feel for him."
Each of them selected by the Dave Gettleman regime, Jones and Lawrence have been teammates since they were taken sixth and 17th overall, respectively, in the '19 draft. They also earned their second NFL contracts within two months of each other, Jones first signing a four-year, $160 million extension and Lawrence following with a four-year pact, as well, for $90 million.
However, Lawrence is regarded as one of the elite players at his position and currently boasts nine sacks and 38 tackles through 10 games. Jones, in contrast, has struggled with only eight touchdowns in 10 games, throwing seven interceptions and for just 207 yards per game.
As New York has sputtered to a 2-8 record, Jones has been bombarded with bad press and scrutiny, which has really been a yearly occurrence for the QB.
Nonetheless, Lawrence doesn't see it as cut and dry as some critics when it comes to Jones' struggles equating to his team's.
"Teams lose games, not just one player, and I think that should be understood," Lawrence said on Tuesday.
Along those lines, Lawrence can't completely get his head around demoting Jones to third string behind new and surprising QB1 Tommy DeVito and backup Drew Lock.
"Because you don't know their full thoughts behind it," Lawrence said of his confusion. "I think we trust the coaches and where they're going and where they think we can go. That's what you have to do. You have to be naïve. You start thinking about the wrong s---, then you start playing like s---, you know what I'm saying? You got to be naïve and trust the process."
The process worked for a season under head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. In Daboll's first season, he coached Jones to his finest season statistically and Jones and Lawrence to their first and only postseason appearance. Following its playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles to end the 2022 season, though, New York has gone 8-19 since.
In times such as these, arduous decisions need to be made. At least that's the way Lawrence sees it and he can empathize with his head coach's situation, but he clearly doesn't believe the Giants' chances at winning games have improved.
"(Daboll) just said it was a hard decision," Lawrence said on Tuesday. "I'm sure it's hard. He's the QB1. To me, the best quarterback on the team. But they see things differently. I guess that's all that matters."
With Jones, who has no more guaranteed money on his contract after this season, likely to have started his final game for Big Blue, the Giants will move on with DeVito this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I got a lot of respect for (DeVito)," Lawrence said. "He has probably the most charisma and confidence I've ever seen in a third-string quarterback. That's good. I respect him for that. He knows who he is, and that's strong as a person."
Quite obviously, Lawrence is still seeing Jones as the Giants' QB1, and Monday's move in a new direction might take some time to get used to for the two-time Pro Bowler.
