Daniel Jones missed the final six games of the 2021 season due to a neck injury. On Thursday, weeks before the start of the 2022 season, the Giants quarterback revealed to reporters that he underwent surgery in that area over the winter. Asked about offseason pictures that appeared to show a surgical scar on his upper chest, Jones insisted the procedure was unrelated to his injury.
“I had a non-football-related procedure done on my neck,” Jones said, per ESPN. “I saw there was something about it. It was completely unrelated, but I feel good. (My) neck is great.”
The 25-year-old former first-round draft pick, who’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, visited multiple spinal surgeons and specialists late in 2021, after suffering a neck injury in a Week 12 win over the Eagles. He was ultimately diagnosed with disc herniations and spinal stenosis, according to the New York Post, and received an injection to alleviate inflammation. Jones didn’t take a single snap after the injury, returning to the field for the first time this preseason.
Asked about Jones’ operation this offseason, one medical source speculated that the QB could’ve undergone spinal fusion surgery, which can require a frontal entry, hence the upper-chest scarring. The Giants have not addressed the operation, previously downplaying the long-term severity of Jones’ neck injury. Jones himself has dismissed the notion of his ailment having any effect on his game, telling reporters he felt fine in New York’s recent preseason opener.
The former Duke prospect is set to enter 2022 as the Giants’ starter, but the team signed veteran journeyman Tyrod Taylor in free agency, and new coach Brian Daboll hinted this week that Taylor will get first-team reps ahead of the regular season.
