The New York Giants did a fantastic job of buying themselves flexibility in free agency in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The need for a franchise quarterback looms over the organization, but the short-term vacancy demanded answers. In turn, general manager Joe Schoen signed Jameis Winston to a two-year deal worth $16 million, then Russell Wilson for one year and $10.5 million. The latter will start in September, and Winston slides nicely onto the second string.
Of course, in Round 1, the Giants picked Jaxson Dart, adding the future of the franchise into the room and thus starting the clock until he makes his debut.
Dart isn’t supposed to start early, if at all, in 2025. With two veteran passers insulating the room, he won’t have to. New York has allowed itself to avoid starting Dart too early, even if Wilson struggles or gets hurt.
Even so, the Giants’ timeline on starting Dart could follow three distinct timelines.
The best-case scenario is simple. Dart exceeds expectations set by his standing on the depth chart and his late-first-round capital. In the event he forces New York’s hand, he’ll be on an inspiring path and playing well ahead of schedule.
Perhaps Wilson stumbles or suffers a minor injury. If Dart is performing well enough, and more importantly, winning Brian Daboll’s trust, he could experience a Daniel Jones-like acceleration into the starting job. From there, he’ll hope his talent takes him further.
The second (and most likely) option is that Dart remains sidelined for most of the season, either playing when there is nothing to play for or not at all, fulfilling the prophecy of a redshirt season. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with that. Perhaps Wilson plays the Giants into meaningful late-season games and takes away that opportunity.
In either case, Dart’s small sample size wouldn’t be particularly telling of his future.
The New York faithful, of course, have grown used to dysfunction, and it wouldn’t be the first time a strong offseason from Schoen ends in disaster.
Drafting Dart is supposed to buy Schoen and Daboll breathing room for two seasons. But in a timeline where things go bad – Wilson looks washed, the offensive line falls apart, and those seats get hot – the pressure for Dart to start will grow. That’s the scenario fans should be wary of, where a project passer gets thrown into the fire without the time to develop and the pieces to succeed.
The Giants have stacked enough good-process decisions to earn optimism and goodwill from the fanbase. Even so, when Dart starts and how that ascension occurs must be monitored throughout the season.