Before we get to the heart of the matter, it’s important to acknowledge that the New York Giants’ offensive line is still a mess. So when a game gets as out of hand as it did on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, you throw out some of your evaluation because there’s no play call that beats a defense up 22 points with a quarter to go, knowing the offense has to throw. You can even forgive the late interceptions because at that point you can be impressed that the guy is still willing to throw it away.

With that settled, Daniel Jones needs to be benched. Or at the very least, he needs to be informed that first-team reps in practice will now be dealt out on merit. With two other quarterbacks on the roster—Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito—who we know can win games just as well right now, it’s time to take action before Jones-related excuses turn into locker-room-wide indifference and cynicism.

The Giants lost their season opener, 28-6. Jones was 22-of-42 for 186 yards and two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six. Jones is a tough guy with a big heart who could very well have been wrecked by a series of poor decisions from his offensive coaching staff since he was drafted in 2019. There’s certainly a world in which he’ll find himself on the field elsewhere, but this situation in New York, just quarters into the ’24 NFL season, has already gotten to the point where Brian Daboll was surrender-punting near midfield with a three-touchdown deficit.

Daboll has put in all the effort, and it’s clear that Jones is only moderately effective when involved in the team’s running game (as opposed to being ineffective as a pure drop-back passer). The problem is that Jones doesn’t have the kind of Justin Fields-like athleticism or Josh Allen-like steamroller power to scare a defense. Most of Jones’ designed runs, a trend that Daboll fell heavily into with the game still in the mix on Sunday, were stopped in the backfield. Jones struggled to read what was in front of him, he missed throws, and he seemed nervous at times, which is understandable given how shaky he likely perceives his situation to be. Yes, there were drops. Yes, DC Brian Flores called a great game for the Vikings. No, this game wasn’t supposed to be a blowout.

The Giants have tried unconditional love when it comes to Jones, they’ve tried tough love, and they’ve tried discussing his replacement in an HBO miniseries this midseasonNone of which have delivered the defibrillator jolt to his career that the team had hoped for. This offseason, Daboll went public with his intention of keeping Jones out of seven-on-seven drills all summer, forcing every snap Jones took to include heavy defensive pressure in the hopes that he would acclimate. With the most consequential years of his now-ill-fated four-year, $160 million contract extension behind him, the Giants aren’t depending on Jones for financial reasons alone.

Under normal circumstances, calling for a starting quarterback to be benched one week into the season is a top-notch, look-at-me hack job from someone who covers football for a living. It’s a First recording–style performative tap dance, a challenge to see how loudly you can yell “FIRE” in a packed movie theater for no reason other than the love of the sound of your own voice. I’ll grant myself an exception under the circumstances, though. The Giants’ offseason road map thus far, which has included strenuous exploration of a trade up in the 2024 draft and the signing of a backup with starting experience, is an acknowledgement that Jones is in the very final stages of his time with the team.

The priority at this point should be installing a quarterback capable of making plays—even stealthily—within the confines of the offense. Rookie first-rounder Malik Nabers doesn’t need a superstar, he needs a DoorDash quarterback, something good that just comes along and gives him a chance to create. The same can be said for Wan’Dale Robinson, who made perhaps the offense’s only play worth adding to a Week 1 highlight reel.

For whatever reason, pick one from the list above, Jones can’t be that quarterback. Too many times during his tenure, games have spiraled out of control at an avalanche pace. That kind of repetition can carve a groove in any locker room, but especially on a Giants team that can no longer blame the situation on anyone else. Jones isn’t done yet, but he is ready thereThe longer the Giants wait to make that decision, the longer they risk the rest of the locker room thinking they can perform that way and still expect to start.