The New York Giants grabbed their hopeful long-term franchise quarterback when they traded 2025 NFL Draft picks No. 34 and No. 99 along with a 2026 third-round selection to the Houston Texans for Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart at No. 25 on Thursday.
Despite that investment, Giants head coach Brian Daboll later suggested Dart will have to work his way up the depth chart that features Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito.
“Russ will be our starter, and that’s how it’ll be once we get started here in the spring,” Daboll told reporters. “Look, the process of developing a quarterback is just that. So we’re going to do everything we can to develop [Dart] and bring him along.”
Daboll’s “in the spring” line could lead one to believe that Dart will be given a chance to win the starting job from spring workouts through the team’s final preseason game. While such a scenario could play out, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY mentioned in an article published early Friday that “multiple sources across the NFL” said Dart might need to spend “a full year” as an unused backup to properly develop as an NFL signal-caller.
The contracts Wilson and Winston signed to join the Giants earlier this offseason could allow the club to move on from either and play Dart as soon as September. On Thursday, Daboll was sure to remind reporters that those veterans are still relatively new to the organization.
“They’re learning our offense right now,” Daboll said about Wilson and Winston. “They need to worry about Russ and Jameis. They’re great teammates. They’ve been great teammates these first four days to be around them…Very happy with the additions that we’ve made in terms of people, but leadership, too.”
While with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, Wilson won six of his first seven starts (he missed the campaign’s opening six weeks due to a calf injury) before he and the club endured a five-game losing streak that may or may not have been related to issues he had with Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
If Wilson can stay healthy and get along with Daboll through the fall, the 36-year-old could keep Dart on the sidelines until 2026.
