Giants sign quarterback Drew Lock to back up Daniel Jones
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock passes the ball before an NFL football game against the Eagles on Dec. 18, 2023 in Seattle. Credit: AP/Ben VanHouten
The Giants have signed Drew Lock as their backup quarterback.
The importance of that position cannot be lost on the organization or its fan base, of course. Starter Daniel Jones continues his rehab from a torn ACL. Jones, who is 26, has missed 24 games in five seasons with the team. He is entering the second year of a four-year, $160 million contract.
NFL Network reported last week that the Giants are “absolutely done” with Jones. If that is true, the Giants likely would part ways with Jones after the 2024 season. The agreement was originally structured essentially as a two-year deal.
Meanwhile, Tyrod Taylor, who had been the Giants' backup for the past two seasons, agreed Monday to a two-year deal with the Jets worth up to $18 million.
The Giants are also set to sign safety Jalen Mills to a one-year contract, according to ESPN. The Giants lost Xavier McKinney in free agency to the Packers. Mills, 29, is a former seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2016. He spent the first five years of his career with the Eagles and the last three with the Patriots. On March 17, 2023, Mills was released by New England.
Lock’s contract is for $5 million and fully guaranteed, according to ESPN. Lock, 27, played college football at Missouri and was drafted by the Broncos in the second round in 2019.
This season, the Giants' depth chart at quarterback, assuming all players are healthy, figures to be Jones, Lock and Tommy DeVito. The Giants also could draft a quarterback. The Giants' decision-makers have shown particular interest in draft-eligible quarterbacks this offseason.
Lock arrived in Seattle in 2022 from Denver as part of the Russell Wilson deal, but he didn't take a snap during his first season with the Seahawks. When Geno Smith missed time this past season, Lock took over and, in four appearances, completed 48 of 76 passes for 543 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Lock started 13 games for Denver in 2020 but completed just 57.3% of his passes and threw an NFL-high 15 interceptions.
Notes & quotes: Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who played for the Bills while Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll were also in Buffalo, is signing with the Giants. He spent last season with the Colts, catching 11 passes on 14 targets for 82 yards. He is the second former Bill signed by the Giants in free agency, joining running back Devin Singletary.
In 2022, McKenzie had 42 receptions for 423 yards and four touchdowns in Buffalo. He played for the Bills from 2018 to 2022. Across his five seasons in Buffalo, McKenzie had 137 catches for 1,316 yards and 11 touchdowns.
McKenzie was originally drafted by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2017 draft.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
