When the New York Giants signed Brandon Allen in 2026 NFL free agency, they acquired a veteran quarterback who’s already made a bold prediction about what different coaching can do for second-year, would-be franchise passer Jaxson Dart.
Allen signed with the Giants on Monday, April 13, immediately becoming the third quarterback and a viable replacement for Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson. It looked like a modest move on the surface, but Allen’s experience with new Giants QBs coach Brian Callahan could prove crucial to Dart’s development.
Callahan coached Allen with the Tennessee Titans in 2025, so the journeyman backup knows what Dart can expect from his latest position coach.
Brandon Allen Has Already Told Jaxson Dart What to Expect from Brian Callahan
Allen told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post back in February, what Callahan’s “so good at is communicating certain ways with different guys. Some guys might need a pat on the back, some guys might need you to rip them a little bit. He does a good job gauging where the player is, depending upon personality, type of player, that sort of thing. He changes the way he gets the same message across.”
This is just what Dart should welcome from his most direct contact with new head coach John Harbaugh’s staff. Specifically, the part about Callahan basing his coaching on the “type of player” at his disposal.
Dart is different to the traditional type of pro signal-caller. He’s a runner-thrower who often plays with reckless abandon.
The Giants need indulge what makes Dart a natural playmaker, while also safeguarding him with keener attention to the fundamentals. Fortunately, one more tidbit about Callahan from Allen suggests Dart will get the right schooling.
Allen also predicted Dart will get used to hearing “do it right” from Callahan. As Allen explained, “That’s kind of his thing if he eyeballs something wrong. We’re not always going to redo this play or run that again. That’s his mentality. He is all about the details. He’s not a drill sergeant, but he’s about doing the little things right that will translate into making the whole play right or making the right throw.”
Paying extra attention to getting the basic, but vital details right will only help Dart progress. So will listening to Allen’s voice of experience speaking on what it takes to play for Callahan.
The latter is why the Giants were smart to go under the radar to find 10-time Pro Bowler Wilson’s replacement.
Giants Trusting More Settled QB Room
Things at football’s most important position look a lot more settled for the Giants headed into the 2026 NFL season. Allen’s arrival is the final part of a necessary overhaul that began with cutting ties with Wilson.
That move has left a decorated QB in limbo, but it’s also made things a lot quieter around Dart. There’ll be no controversy brewing about the starter when Dart inevitably experiences growing pains in Year 2. Nor will the Giants have to endure a Wilson watch from those eager to see when a passer with a title-winning CV will get onto the field next.
Reuniting Callahan with Allen completes Harbaugh’s plan to put the right framework in place to assist Dart. A framework in which the position coach figures to be just as important as veteran play-callers Matt Nagy and Greg Roman.
New Giants QB Already Made Bold Prediction About Jaxson Dart, Key Coach