Giants' Slayton stands up for Jones: 'Easy to say negative things'
New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton came to the defense of his quarterback Thursday after New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner seemed unable to say anything positive about Daniel Jones during an interview.
"I don't know what his intent was," Slayton said, according to the New York Daily News' Pat Leonard. "I think I saw a tweet, he said maybe he got distracted or something like that, and that's why he paused. But whatever it was, regardless, it's easy to say negative things once there's a negative narrative around a person. But it doesn't always make it - well, in this case - it doesn't make it true. Nor does he see him on a day-in, day-out basis."
Gardner was asked about his opinion of Jones following a joint practice on Wednesday, and the two-time All-Pro cornerback struggled to answer the question.
I said "he's a good quarterback", I just got a lil distracted with something mid interview😂 chilllllllll
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) August 21, 2024
Slayton added: "I think because we play in prime time a lot, we're media-covered a lot, we're the Giants. If we were the Jaguars, like, you don't hear anybody say anything about Trevor Lawrence. Or Justin Herbert, for that matter."
The Giants signed Jones to a four-year, $160-million extension in March 2023, but injuries limited the former first-round pick to just six games last season.
"The thing with the money is, that's what quarterbacks get paid. You don't see anybody talking about Derek Carr," Slayton said.
New York went 1-5 last season in games in which Jones started. The quarterback finished 2023 with 909 passing yards, 206 rushing yards, and three total scores, regressing after he posted a career-high 3,205 yards along with 708 rushing yards and 22 total scores in his first season under Brian Daboll in 2022.
The Giants will kick off their 2024 season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.