Lock told he’d have chance at starting role
NEW YORK — The Giants told Drew Lock he would have the chance to compete to be their starting quarterback.
Seahawks GM John Schneider said that’s why Lock left Seattle, even though they wanted him back.
“Another rough conversation: Really happy for Drew,” Schneider said Thursday on “The Wyman and Bob Show” on 710 Seattle Sport. “And it’s really the opportunity. Yes, to your point, they basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter. And he felt like it was the right opportunity. He looked at Baker Mayfield’s opportunity last year [in Tampa] and felt that this could be something similar.”
Schneider may have been talking out of school, but he’s right. Multiple league sources also told the Daily News the exact same thing earlier Thursday.
“Drew signed there because they told him he’d have a chance to start,” one league source told The News.
Lock, 27, contrary to that reality, insisted on a Friday morning Zoom press conference that “Daniel Jones is the starter of this team” and he only came here to “push Daniel to be the best that he can be.”
He also claimed his conversation with Schneider about his Giants’ signing was limited and that “I did not have a talk with John about Baker.”
Lock did admit, though that Jones’ ongoing rehab will provide a lot of opportunities for him on the field during the spring.
“I just know there’s a possibility for me to get a lot of reps in OTAS,” he said. “That’s all I know.”
Maybe that’s all he’ll need to prove he deserves the job.
This development further clarifies Russell Wilson’s free agent visit with the Giants before his eventual signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson never would have traveled to New Jersey if he didn’t think there was a potential opportunity to play.
The Giants aren’t guaranteeing anyone they will be handed Jones’ job. So Wilson ended up in Pittsburgh, knowing there was a chance he could end up as
Jones’ backup once he got healthy.
But simply an opportunity to win the gig was enough for Lock, who signed on a one-year, $5 million contract.
Giants Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms said on the “Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard” podcast that landing Lock is a “great deal” for the Giants.
Simms said Lock made “tremendous strides” last year in Seattle with a “fantastic” preseason and strong regular season play when he spotted an injured Geno Smith.
“You could tell he was leading the team,” Simms said Thursday. “If he has to play for the Giants, it won’t be a big drop-off, that’s for sure. To say he’s a good backup, that might be a little bit of an understatement. He’s a good backup-plus.”
Jones’ health is a part of this equation along with his play.
Jones is “behind schedule” in his ACL recovery that was initially intended to have him ready for Week 1, according to former NFL GM Michael Lombardi on “:The GM Shuffle” podcast.
GM Joe Schoen promised to be in the veteran quarterback market all along. The Giants also were tied to Jameis Winston before he signed with the Cleveland Browns.
But if Lock views this as an opportunity like Mayfield had with the Buccaneers last year, that means he believes there is a genuine chance to win the job outright and resurrect his career to a bigger payday somewhere in 2025.
And why shouldn’t he? People around the league have noticed that the Giants organization did not push back in any meaningful public way on NFL Network host Rich Eisen’s recent report that “the Giants are absolutely done with Daniel Jones.”
It’s possible the Giants are just letting Schoen’s previous comments about his confidence in Jones speak for them, but those statements ring hollow now.
Lock arriving to compete as the starter doesn’t mean the Giants won’t draft a quarterback with their No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft or even try to trade up for their guy. But Simms thinks they’re more likely to take a position player high in the first round and get a quarterback later.