The New York Giants‘ present, at least until the first snap of a team-drill during training camp, belongs to Russell Wilson but the franchise is banking on first-round rookie Jaxson Dart being the quarterback of the future.
Dart, chosen by the Giants with the No. 25 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, after trading back into the first round, is already making a strong impression on his teammates after his performance during this spring’s OTAs and minicamp practices.
“He fits the mold of what they like at quarterback,” Giants running back Tyrone Tracy said, during a recent appearance on FS1’s The Facility. “He likes to run, he likes to throw the ball deep, he’s athletic…He’s one of them people that be out there hooping. You see him playing and you’re like, wow okay.”
“He fits the mold of what they want in a QB. I’m not going to sit and hear and say he can spin it if he can’t…He can ball.”
Dart, 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, lands in East Rutherford off passing for a career-high 4,279 yards and 29 touchdowns to six interceptions during his final collegiate season at Ole Miss, before seeing his stock surge ahead of the NFL Draft getting underway.
In all likelihood, the Giants will open the season with Wilson behind center, but if the veteran falters and Dart continues his upward trajectory this summer during training camp and the preseason, the 22-year-old rookie could play his way into meaningful snaps this fall.
NFL Analyst Bearish on Jaxson Dart’s Upside
Adam Hunger | GettyMuch of the New York Giants’ future hinges on rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Not everyone is buying in on Dart’s upside, or the Giants’ future.
As the 2025 NFL season looms, Windy City Gridiron’s Bill Zimmerman ranked each team’s quarterback future rankings, projecting each situation over the next five seasons, with the Giants coming in 23rd on his list.
“Dart was a climber in this year’s draft,” Zimmerman writes. “And he seems to be embracing New York well, which not all prospects do. Dart has good arm talent, but can he put it all together and become a quality quarterback? That’s a pretty big question mark, but the unknown gives him the nod here.”
In what appears to be a weak quarterback class, the fact that the Giants felt the need to trade up into the first round — combined with all of the speculation ahead of the draft that Dart’s stock was rising — in order to select him, it is fairly clear that those inside the league are more optimistic about the former Ole Miss standout’s future than media or fans.
If nothing else, Dart has a big fan in his new head coach, Brian Daboll.
“He’s done excellent,” Daboll told reporters during last month’s minicamp. “He’s picking up the information. It’s really good to have Russ and Jameis and even Tommy — because Tommy’s been in this system for a few years here and is kind of the head statesman in terms of that and all the adjustments that take place, or the calls.
“[Dart has] fit right in with those guys. He’s smart. He’s aggressive with the football, which I like. And then, the true test will be once we start and there’s live hitting in preseason games and things like that. But he’s progressed — since he’s been here, to where he is now, he’s made good improvement.”
Daboll better be right. His, and the Giants’ future likely depend on it.
Bleak Expectations for Giants in 2025
Adam Hunger | GettyNew York Giants head coach Brian Daboll faces immense pressure in 2025.
The edict from Giants owner John Mara is a clear one, Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen must show progress at season’s end from last season’s last-place finish that resulted in New York picking inside the top-10 picks in the draft for the second consecutive season.
New York limped to a 3-14 finish in 2024 and were rarely all that competitive, so it’s easy to see why Daboll is possibly on the hottest seat of any coach across the NFL, and why Schoen was so aggressive in adding veterans such as Wilson, cornerback Paulson Adebo, safety Jevon Holland, among others this offseason.
But, over at Pro Football Focus, one top analyst isn’t buying the Giants’ moves.
“Not only are the Giants in a difficult spot in the division,” Mason Cameron writes for PFF, projecting just 5.5 wins for New York in 2025. “But, they also face the most difficult schedule in the NFL this season. Along with six games against the Commanders, Cowboys and Eagles, they’re slated to play the Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, 49ers, Packers, Lions and Vikings. That is a murderers’ row of opponents for a team that finished with three wins in 2024. Per PFF’s season simulations, the Giants are tied for the fewest wins in the NFL in 2025.”
It would take a lot, and potentially Dart playing and playing at an exceptional level for 5.5 wins to be a benchmark for Mara to bring Daboll and Schoen back for another season, let alone believe that progress is being made towards the Giants meaningfully competing anytime soon.
Giants’ Jaxson Dart Draws Major Praise from Teammate