Giants’ Daniel Jones at bottom of PFF QB rankings

If Jones wants to keep his job, he needs to play his way out of that bottom tier

Pro Football Focus is not quite as dismissive as Daniel Jones as CBS Sports was when it recently named the New York Giants quarterback as the worst starting QB in the NFL. PFF, though, does place Jones in the bottom of it’s seven tiers.

That bottom tier, called ‘Holdovers’ by PFF’s Trevor Sikkema, includes Jones, Aiden O’Connell and gardner Minshew of the Las Vegas Raiders, Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings and Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos.

Sikkema writes:

Jones was the third-ranked quarterback in PFF grade on his own team last year — behind Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito. Jones played in just six games in 2023 and was basically either elite or one of the worst-graded quarterbacks in a given week, with no in-between.

He is a good athlete whose rushing production and ability to escape the pocket have always been a big part of his game. But in four of his five years with the Giants, he has finished with more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws. His average depth of target has also been low over the past three seasons.

I find this a more sensible way to rank quarterbacks than a 1-23 list. Done this way, it is hard to argue with Jones being included in that bottom rung after the way he played last season before suffering a torn ACL. If he can’t improve that standing, the Giants will be looking for a new quarterback in 2025.

Here are PFF’s seven tiers:

Tier 1
Patrick Mahomes

Tier 2
Lamar Jackson
Joe Burrow
Josh Allen

Tier 3
Justin Herbert
Dak Prescott
Matthew Stafford
Aaron Rodgers
Jalen Hurts
C.J. Stroud

Tier 4
Jordan Love
Trevor Lawrence
Brock Purdy
Tua Tagovailoa
Kirk Cousins
Jared Goff
Kyler Murray
Geno Smith
Caleb Williams

Tier 5
Baker Mayfield
Derek Carr
Russell Wilson
DeShaun Watson

Tier 6
Anthony Richardson
Bryce Young
Jacoby Brissett/Drake Maye
Jayden Daniels
Will Levis

Tier 7
Daniel Jones
Sam Darnold/J.J. McCarthy
Aiden O’Connell/Gardner Minshew
Jarrett Stidham/Bo Nix