Giants place QB Daniel Jones (neck) on injured reserve, ending his 2021 season

Daniel Jones’ 2021 season is finished to the surprise of few.

The Giants placed the quarterback on injured reserve, the team announced Monday. Receiver Sterling Shepard was also placed on injured reserve due to a torn Achilles suffered Sunday.

Jones’ season met an interruption in New York’s Week 12 win over Philadelphia when he suffered a neck injury that was initially described as a strain. He’s since been unable to play because he hasn’t been cleared for contact, and with just three games left in an otherwise lost season, there’s little reason to try to rush him back.

The Giants offered some insight on the matter via a statement Monday.

“Over the course of the past few weeks, Daniel has been examined by Dr. Frank Cammisa of Hospital for Special Surgery and Dr. Robert Watkins of the Marina Spine Center at Marina Del Rey Hospital,” Giants SVP and head athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes said in the statement. “Our medical team has continued to consult with Dr. Cammisa and Dr. Watkins regarding Daniel’s condition and symptoms, and at this point, Daniel has not been cleared for contact. We felt the prudent decision was to place Daniel on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. With continued rest and treatment, we expect a full recovery.”

Jones’ season ends without the clarity Giants fans hoped they’d get from the quarterback in his third campaign. He finished with his best single-season completion percentage of his career (64.3) and threw for 2,428 yards and a 10-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but didn’t put together a season that would erase any doubt about his viability as the Giants’ franchise quarterback going forward. Instead, his year of work came amid another frustrating campaign for New York (4-10), which is attempting to reverse its fortunes under head coach Joe Judge.

The season included the firing of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett after the Giants struggled significantly to do much of anything positive offensively. Jones didn’t find much of a rhythm amid these struggles, and he also didn’t play a full season due to injury for a second straight year.

Jones enters the offseason focused on first recovering and rehabbing his neck before turning toward improving his performance. Judge isn’t expected to be fired, as the Giants are likely to take a patient approach with the coach after quickly moving on from Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur. But time will be of the essence for Jones, with the expectation the Giants again prepare for another season with him at quarterback. Whether they pick up his fifth-year option remains to be seen.

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