In each of the past three seasons, a quarterback who was highly drafted but initially unfulfilled has begun to flourish in a new location with the right offensive and coaching staff.
In 2022, the Seattle Seahawks decided that Geno Smith, the New York Jets’ 2013 second-round pick, would replace Russell Wilson as their franchise quarterback after Smith had been a bust with the Jets, the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Chargers. Smith has been a plus-level starter in the Emerald City ever since.
Baker Mayfield was selected with the first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, fell out of favor with head coach Kevin Stefanski and was jettisoned in favor of Deshaun Watson, who joined the team in what may be the worst deal in history of the NFL. Mayfield had a nice cup of coffee with the Los Angeles Rams and then signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. Under offensive coordinators Dave Canales (who was instrumental in Smith’s professional rehabilitation, and is doing the same for 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young in Carolina) and now Liam Coen, Mayfield has defined the Bucs franchise as much as any current player.
Related: Did Austin Seibert just suffer the most painful minutes in NFL history?
Sam Darnold, another Jets failure early in his career, was selected No. 3 overall by Gang Green in 2018 – two picks behind Mayfield. Things never went well for Darnold there, and he was catapulted out of the building after three seasons via a trade to the Carolina Panthers. After two decent years with the Panthers, and a stint in 2023 with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup, Darnold found the perfect spot in Minnesota, where Vikings head coach and offensive shot-caller Kevin O’Connell has taken the best of Darnold’s attributes while masking his shortcomings.
Could Jones be part of a similar feel-good story in 2025?
The Giants recently released the 2019 sixth overall pick after a career of (mostly) subpar play. Jones has never looked like The Guy. But to be fair, he also had three head coaches, four offensive coordinators, and multiple offensive systems to deal with.
According to multiple reports, Jones (who has cleared waivers, allowing any team that signs him without the weight of the four-year, $160 million contract he signed in 2023) would prefer to wait for the right situation – preferably with a play-off level team. , which makes all the sense in the world. There’s no reason to pick the first franchise that offers him a spot on the roster, especially if Jones were to find himself in a similarly dire situation.
Smith, Mayfield and Darnold were able to reshape their careers after landing on teams that built the right offenses around them. How can Jones’ second NFL team pull off a similar turnaround, most likely with the 27-year-old as the backup behind a true star quarterback?
Make the RPO an important concept
Jones isn’t the best field reader in the NFL, and there are times when he waits too long to throw. But he is mobile and can win as a runner. He has 2,179 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in his career. So the run-pass option should be a big part of his next offense. This concept gives the quarterback the option to throw, pass to a running back or run the ball himself depending on how the defense attacks. It also tends to limit the quarterback’s need to read the entire field, as most RPO passes are of the quick play type.
This season, Jones has been relatively efficient as a passer and runner in RPO games. He has completed eight of 13 passes for 52 yards, while as an RPO runner he has gained 42 yards on six carries. Teams like the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles, who run higher RPO plays, could be a good fit in that regard (again, we’re not saying Jones will replace Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts or even Bo Nix – but he could be a solid backup, and these tactics would work if he came in as a replacement).
Make Jones a game manager
The term “game manager” is generally considered pejorative because it denotes a quarterback whose physical gifts are unspectacular and therefore must be protected by coaching and the talent around him. But every quarterback is a game manager to some degree, and even the all-time greats are coveted as much for their overall consistency as their flashes of brilliance.
What does this mean for Jones? In his case, his next coaching staff will want to build a consistent rhythm for him in the passing game, and that means eschewing the deep ball in favor of short and intermediate passes. Not only does this settle Jones’ inconsistencies, it also eliminates the aforementioned field-reading issues when plays take longer to develop, and Jones starts to get out of his depth.
Jones’ splits this season tell the story:
Passes below 10 air meters: 172 completions on 247 attempts for 1,241 yards, four touchdowns, four interceptions and a passer rating of 79.7.
Passes from 10-19 air yards: 38 completions in 65 attempts for 613 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and an 87.5 passer rating.
Passes of more than 20 air yards: Six completions on 29 attempts for 216 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 66.7.
Intermediate passes are what Jones’ next team should lead with, while he can easily read him in red zone situations, which will complicate the short-pass numbers for any quarterback unfamiliar with conversions in those compressed situations. The Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, and Cincinnati Bengals have excellent passing games by design. You can continue to build from there.
Help Jones become a “Messenger of Trust.”
Former Giants general manager Dave Gettleman took Jones at No. 6 after Jones had a great week of practice at the 2019 Senior Bowl, and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. One of the reasons Gettleman is the Giants former GM is that he placed more importance on one All-Star week during the three seasons at Duke, with Jones putting up tape that was much more second or third round.
That placed Jones firmly in the realm of overdraft. And while the money is a lot better in that area, it also often leads to an unfortunate divide between what is expected and what can actually be achieved. Not everyone is Tom Brady, who was selected with the 199th overall pick, and he wanted to make everyone in the world pay dearly for that oversight.
During Jones’ final press conference as a Giants player, he read a statement apologizing for his overall performance and thanking the team. Jones was rightly praised for handling the situation professionally, but that’s a tough way to end your time with a franchise. And Jones’ confidence, something that is crucial for a quarterback, could be affected. It’s not just confidence that’s crucial for a quarterback; his teammates must also believe in his abilities.
For example, Young is turning things around for the Panthers this season after a terrible rookie campaign in 2023, in part because his teammates now believe in him. After Young had his best game yet in a 30-27 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs last Sunday, veteran receiver Adam Thielen said of Young that he had become “the messenger of our confidence and who we can are. We love that guy, and [we] I appreciate his way of thinking this year.”
Wherever Jones goes, he will need the help of his new coaches and players to wipe away the football sins of the past. In short, the goal will be to help Jones become a messenger of confidence. That facet is mandatory for any quarterback hoping to find professional redemption.
