The Giants didn't really need the results of an MRI. The look on Daniel Jones’ face after his knee gave out, crippling him to the grass of Allegiant Stadium, told you that his season is over.
What followed was anything but surprising -- the Giants lost 30-6 to the Raiders. This team, one with such optimism for their future as it left Minnesota 10 short months ago, now sits at 2-7. Without Jones, and with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor already on injured reserve, more losses are sure to come.
New York’s grim present is bringing clarity to a future not thought possible when this year began. Now, it’s inevitable.
And with Brian Daboll confirming on Monday morning that Jones did indeed tear his ACL in his right knee, that snap might very well have been the final of Jones’ tenure in a Giants uniform.
"He's worked really hard to get back," Daboll told reporters in Las Vegas on Sunday. "And it's unfortunate."
Re-signing Jones wasn’t a mistake. He earned that contract from Joe Schoen with his heroics throughout 2022. Jones had nothing to work with outside of running back Saquon Barkley. The two joined forces to will the Giants into the postseason with a 9-7-1 record, then top the Vikings in the first round.
Improve Jones’ surrounding cast and he’d get even better -- the Giants weren’t alone in that assessment. They could have played hardball and forced him to show them one more year while playing on the franchise tag, but the financial commitment to that would have prevented them from getting Jones more to work with.
So the Giants gave Jones a four-year, $160-million deal. They added players like tight end Darren Waller and receiver Jalin Hyatt. They took the tag they didn’t use on Jones and put it on Barkley.
They were better. That would make Jones better. They genuinely believed that.
They were wrong.
"We can all do a better job," Daboll said.