It seemed like the New York Giants had their franchise guy with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
But the No. 25 overall pick out of Ole Miss has been evaluated for a concussion in five out of his first 10 starts in the NFL. He missed two games earlier this season due to a concussion.
During New York’s Week 15 loss against the Washington Commanders, Dart was evaluated for yet another concussion. While he was able to return to action, Dart seemed miffed that he was evaluated for another head injury.
“I’m not really sure what the reason was I had to come out of the game,” Dart said at his postgame press conference. “It was just weird, I don’t understand it”
New York’s quarterback has been an exciting passer and mobile with his legs, but leading with his head too often has earned Dart familiar trips to the blue medical tent.
While it’s unlikely that the Giants would replace their first-round quarterback before a full season, are we ready to completely rule them out from the 2026 quarterback class?
Being evaluated for a concussion in half of his career starts is bad enough. But it proves that Dart plays a somewhat reckless brand of quarterback.
The Giants already canned head coach Brian Daboll.
While the Giants might have one of the most attractive head coach openings in the NFL because of Dart, would a new coach be overly eager to work with a quarterback that might have a short career?
If the NFL Draft were to take place ahead of Week 16, the Giants would have the No. 1 overall pick. While Ohio State’s Arvell Reese or Miami’s Reuben Bain Jr. would be typical selections for a team that already has a quarterback, the Giants have already invested a lot into their defensive front.
They could entertain a trade down with a quarterback-needy team like the New York Jets or Cleveland Browns… but what if they targeted a quarterback themselves?
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore are likely the only two quarterbacks worth drafting very high. If the Giants take one off the board with the No. 1 overall pick, that would leave so many QB-needy teams without an option.
The league is thin on quality quarterbacks. Undoubtedly, a team would take a flier on a trade for Dart. The 22-year-old quarterback would have a market based on his 13 touchdown passes to four interceptions. Somebody would ignore the potential concussion issues – there’s no doubt.
Not to mention, a new head coach might want his own guy. If the Giants want to go big-name hunting for somebody like Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, he’d likely want to build the offense his own way.
While Dart is likely safe in New York, we can’t completely rule anything out. There’s three regular season games remaining, and the Giants and Raiders still play each other.
The race to the bottom is always entertaining.
