St. John’s head men’s basketball coach, Rick Pitino, might despise losing on the court, but nothing frosts him more than pundits throwing out trade proposals for a league still months away from free agency.
While gearing up for Sunday’s game against Seton Hall, a fired-up 71-year-old Pitino wasn’t reviewing their recent loss. Instead, he fumed after catching ESPN’s Get Up while working out on Friday. The culprit? Mike Tannenbaum suggested that the New York Giants trade Daniel Jones to the Cleveland Browns for Deshaun Watson.
“I’m trading Deshaun Watson and a second-round pick to the New York Giants for Daniel Jones,” said Tannenbaum. “And hear me out, if you’re the Cleveland Browns, you have Dorian Thompson-Robinson, you have Joe Flacco and now a 27-year-old Daniel Jones, who has one year left of guaranteed money for $36 million, and an enormous amount of flexibility moving forward.
“And if you’re the Giants, you’re getting Deshaun Watson, who’s 29, who’s making $46 million a year for the next three years and a second-round pick. And to me, you need a frontline, difference-making quarterback. Because right now, if you’re the Giants, how in the world do you win the NFC when you have to beat San Francisco, Green Bay, Dallas, Philly, and Detroit with Daniel Jones? To me, Deshaun Watson hasn’t played well the last couple of years, but he has a high upside, and he’s only 29 years old.”
.@RealTannenbaum thinks the Browns should trade Deshaun Watson to the Giants for Daniel Jones 👀 pic.twitter.com/XoSbp47qv9
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 16, 2024
In his two seasons, limited by suspension and injury to just 12 games, Watson completed 59.8% of his passes for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. While leading the Browns to an 8-4 record, the team’s offensive performance under Watson hasn’t always matched the expectations surrounding his acquisition. Notably, the team’s offense statistically appeared stronger, with backup quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco at the helm.
The absurdity of the idea aside, it’s hard to imagine that the Giants would absorb that level of guaranteed money against their cap for a quarterback with a checkered past, which includes but is not limited to, several lawsuits of alleged sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions.
Although Pitino steered clear of mentioning specific names or proposals, his pointed remarks about “these shows keep asking should the Giants trade Daniel Jones” left little doubt which recent ESPN discussion he found particularly egregious.
Working out n these shows keep asking should the Giants trade @Daniel_Jones10 . Why not talk about things that possibly could happen. Give Danny Dimes some protection n he will be terrific. Patience is a virtue – no more Geno Smith's becoming outstanding elsewhere
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) February 16, 2024
Pitino’s comparison of Jones to Geno Smith, who unexpectedly thrived in his second stint with the Seahawks, might raise some eyebrows. Jones has had five seasons as the Giants’ starter. While he saw improvement under head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka in 2022, his performance still doesn’t consistently place him among the league’s top 15 quarterbacks. With Jones’ contract allowing the Giants an opt-out after 2024, their offseason quarterback strategy remains an open question, making the Watson trade suggestion even more perplexing given its financial and reputational implications.
While Pitino advocates for patience in evaluating quarterbacks, the internal pressure within the Giants’ organization might differ. Daboll’s performance has already been heavily scrutinized, with some suggesting he could face a “hot seat” situation this upcoming season if he and Jones don’t perform.
