Jaxson Dart has found a friend who, like just like him happens to be a first-round pick, an Ole Miss grad and a former New York Giants great.
But Eli Manning isn’t quite ready to start getting Dart reservations at the hot spots around New York City.
The two-time Super Bowl-winning Giants quarterback, opened up about his rapport with the Giants‘ 2025 first-round pick and how he has helped their backup QB in his transition to the NFL.
Manning, of course, was the first overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. Yet, even though he was not a Giants draft pick, Manning ended up the face of the organization after they acquired him from the San Diego Chargers for Philip Rivers on draft day ’04.
What Did Eli Manning Say About His Rapport With Jaxson Dart?
Manning, who played four years at Ole Miss, has known Dart, presumably since he transferred to Oxford, Mississippi from USC after the 2021 season. But even though they’ve known each other a while, and they have the kinship of being both Mississippi and Giants QBs, Manning gave Dart a cold taste of being a rookie in the NFL.
“I told Jaxson when he got here, I knew him when he was at Ole Miss. I’m not going to be a guy who is giving you advice or calling you every week,” Manning told Peter Schrager on “The Schrager Hour” podcast. “But if you have any questions about anything, I’m here for you, football-related or when you’re deciding what town you want to live in or this or that or any ideas.
“All of a sudden it’s training camp, and he calls me one day and goes ‘hey, you got a minute?’ and he says, ‘Can you get me a reservation at 4 Charles tonight at 6:30 tonight?” I said I’m happy to help out, I’m not doing that. I’m not your reservations guy. I’m not doing that.”
For the uninitiated, 4 Charles is one of New York’s best, upscale steakhouses — known for its prime rib — in the West Village section of Manhattan. It has a 4.7-star rating on Google and a 4.6-star rating on Yelp and was listed as one of the top-50 restaurants in the world.
What Did Eli Manning Say About The Giants’ Handling Of Jaxson Dart?
The similarities between Manning and Dart are almost eerie. Like Dart and Russell Wilson, Manning was mentored by a veteran (Kurt Warner) and did not start the first game of his rookie season.
So Manning lauded the Giants‘ handling so far of Dart.
I think the Giants are handling everything the right way, where you bring in a young quarterback,” Manning said. “He’s got to see what New York City is like and see how the media handle the season.”
Yet, at some point Manning is sure Dart will get thrown into the fire — just as he was named the starter in the 2004 season, despite the Giants‘ 5-4 start.
Manning, who lost his first six games as a pro before winning finally getting the win in his season finale vs the Dallas Cowboys and threw nine interceptions in nine games in his rookie year, offered a window into what Dart can expect to encounter when he is inevitably named the starting QB.
“As a young quarterback, when you get thrown in there, you make every mistake,” Manning said. “You’re going to have some struggles. You’ve just got to understand how [the media] is going to react to you and to the team and everything, so you’re just prepared for that.”
Eli Manning Sends Strong Message on Relationship With Giants QB Jaxson Dart