Whether anyone wants to believe it or not, quarterback Daniel Jones was a selling point for the New York Giants when they embarked on their head coaching search earlier this offseason.
“I will tell you this, it felt good that every person we interviewed loves the quarterback. They all said that to us. They all said, ‘We could win with this guy. He has some unique talents,'” co-owner John Mara said in January.
As it turns out, Mike McCarthy was especially intrigued by Jones and viewed the Giants’ job as one of the best available because of the young quarterback. Ultimately however, McCarthy settled on the Dallas Cowboys shortly after his interview with Big Blue.
Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports:
An NFL source told The Post that, though McCarthy always favored the Cowboys above other head-coach vacancies this offseason, he thought the “Giants’ job was very good because of Daniel Jones.” McCarthy interviewed with the Giants on Jan. 4, but he left town without an offer and headed to a 12-hour-long sleepover meeting with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Ask about the Giants and Jones at the NFL Combine, McCarthy praised the organization and Mara, but reiterated that he’s happy to be with the Cowboys.
“I had a great experience with the Giants,” McCarthy said. “First-class organization and can’t say enough about [co-owner] John Mara and the time I was able to spend there. It was a lot of fun, thought the interaction was good, but it’s a process and things happen for a reason. I’m very blessed to be a Dallas Cowboy.”
The Giants had attempted to schedule a second interview with McCarthy, but at that point he was already at a sleepover with Jerry Jones and there was no turning back from there.
Still, it’s nice to hear the reassurances when it comes to Jones and how he was viewed by potential head coaches. And contrary to popular belief, it appears as if the Giants got themselves a good one — a franchise guy capable of leading the team for years to come.
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