Malik Nabers gives lukewarm response about working with Giants QB Daniel Jones: 'I'm just happy to be here'

Jacob Camenker

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Malik Nabers gives lukewarm response about working with Giants QB Daniel Jones: 'I'm just happy to be here' image

Malik Nabers was granted an opportunity to give his new quarterback, Daniel Jones, a vote of confidence during the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft's news conference.

Instead, Nabers sounded lukewarm about working with the sixth-year NFL veteran.

It all started when Nabers committed an all-time spoonerism of his quarterback's name when asked whether he had spoken to Jones since becoming the No. 6 pick.

"I actually did talk to Janiel Dones," Nabers said. "He was just like, 'I'm happy that you're here. We're gonna hit the ground running.' He's gonna learn about me, I'm gonna learn about him and we're gonna get together."

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Naturally, Nabers' mistake was just a slip of the tongue, and it may have stemmed from his quarterback being named Jayden Daniels for the past two seasons. Still, it drew plenty of attention from fans on social media, as the phrase "Janiel Dones" trended on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter).

But the more consequential part of Nabers' response came after a second question about his quarterback.

"What do you make of [Daniel Jones] as a quarterback?" a reporter asked.

Nabers' response?

"I'll wait til I get here to see all that," Nabers said. "I'm just happy to be here. Great organization here. I'm just happy to be here."

SCOUTING REPORTS: Marvin Harrison Jr. | Malik Nabers | Rome Odunze

Perhaps Nabers simply hasn't watched Jones in depth during his five years with the Giants. Or maybe he didn't want to misstep and say something that could be construed negatively about the veteran's skill set.

Ironically, that approach may actually have created more questions about whether Nabers is excited to work with Jones.

Even so, that won't prevent Nabers and Jones from developing a connection during their first season together. Nabers figures to be the quarterback's No. 1 receiver, so the duo will do everything they can to make their first season together a fruitful one.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.