New York Giants, Jaxson Dart
Dan Mullan | Getty
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, and how head coach Brian Daboll handles his playing time in 2025 looms over the franchise.
The New York Giants season might not be an easy endeavor for anyone involved.
Head coach Brian Daboll has a dual mandate to win enough games for the Giants to be competitive, in all likelihood in order to save his job, while also keeping one eye on the future and that of first-round rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
If Russell Wilson is as effective as Daboll, and general manager Joe Schoen hope and believe he can be, the longer Dart is likely to sit on the bench, especially if the Giants remain relevant in the playoff race. But, there’s an argument to be made that Dart playing meaningful snaps this season could better prepare him for 2026 and beyond, regardless of who is the Giants’ head coach this season.
That’s not a belief Bleacher Report NFL analyst Alex Ballentine shares, listing Dart playing too early in 2025 as the Giants’ worst-case scenario.
“Playing in Lane Kiffin’s simplified offense might mean there’s a learning curve that he has to navigate,” Ballentine writes of Dart. “So, while it would be ideal for Dart to see action by the end of the season, it would be ideal for Wilson to play well enough that Daboll has time to get Dart acclimated. If he’s forced into the lineup early, his confidence could take a hit while Malik Nabers grows frustrated and the Giants are again one of the worst offenses in the league.”
Playing any quarterback before they’re ready is always a recipe for disaster.
However, some quarterbacks show they’re ready to hit the ground running immediately, during training camp and the preseason before launching into rookie seasons capped by playoff success.
Ballentine’s assumption runs counter to the success that rookies Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix saw, as rookies, guiding the Commanders and Broncos to the postseason in 2024, which makes the decision whether or not to play Dart all the more complicated.
There’s an argument to be made that Daniels, Nix, and fellow 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams each have significantly more bullish 2025 outlooks because of the snaps they played as rookies last season.
Wilson winning enough games to keep Dart on the bench would likely benefit Dabbol and Schoen but the impact on the trajectory of this spring’s No. 25 overall pick wouldn’t be so clear.
Jaxson Dart’s Impact on Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen’s Future Revealed
Dan Mullan | GettyEAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 12: Jaxson Dart #6 of the New York Giants during a New York Giants practice session at NY Giants Quest Diagnostics Training Center on June 12, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
There’s an argument to be made that selecting a quarterback in the first round can extend the window, or at least the patience for, a general manager and head coach duo.
However, after posting consecutive losing seasons and coming off a disappointing 3-14 campaign, Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer isn’t convinced that taking Dart will have much impact on Daboll and Schoen’s New York futures.
“I don’t think selecting Dart in the first round protects Daboll and Schoen,” Breer writes. “However, it could in a more indirect way.
“If the Giants make the playoffs, then we’re not talking about their job security. If they don’t, there will be shades of gray to the decisions—and that’s where Dart’s play comes in. Because the NFC East drew the NFC North and AFC West this year, the schedule is a bear. So if the Giants win seven or eight games, Dart takes the job in midseason, plays well and energizes the group late, I could see the owners not wanting to pull the plug. Conversely, winning seven or eight games with Russell Wilson probably won’t be enough.”
There is something to be said for continuity in staff being in place, when it comes to a young quarterback’s development, which could boost Daboll’s chances of returning next season, should Dart see significant playing time this fall.
However, if Giants owner John Mara doesn’t believe that New York is heading in the right direction and Dart struggles, following the Chicago Bears‘ path of pairing Williams with a renowned quarterback whisperer may be on the menu in the Garden State this offseason.
Nevertheless, there are bound to be complicated conversations about the Giants’ future after this season, regardless of how it plays out.
Darren Waller Reveals Stunning Moment He Decided to Retire
New York Giants, Darren Waller
Timothy T Ludwig | Getty Former Giants tight end Darren Waller revealed the exact moment he realized it was time to retire from the NFL.
Former Giants tight end Darren Waller walked away from the sport, announcing his retirement on June 9, 2024, but came to the decision far earlier.
Waller caught five passes for 43 yards during a Giants 14-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills, in 2023, and came to the realization early on that it was time to hang up his cleats.
“‘It was in the first quarter of the game,'” Waller said, during an appearance on The Side You Don’t See Podcast. ‘We were running like this counter-lead running play, and I’m kind of like leading through the hole like I’m a fullback.
“And the play is working, but I sit down on the sideline after a drive where we ran it like three times and I’m like, “What the f–k am I doing with my life? I’m out here playing fullback. I don’t even want to do this s*** anymore.”‘
So, a couple of questionable play calls broke Waller’s spirit, and despite catching 52 passes for 552 yards and a touchdown in his lone season in a Giants uniform, it was enough to send him into retirement.