The New York Giants signed Russell Wilson to a one-year deal over the offseason. Then, after landing Jaxson Dart in the first-round of the 2025 draft, the Giants devised a plan. New York would take the Patrick Mahomes approach with Dart, giving the rookie QB a redshirt year to learn behind a veteran before being handed the reins of the offense.
That plan lasted exactly three weeks. After an 0-3 start, the Giants are replacing Wilson with Dart, hoping the rookie passer can save the season. On Wednesday, head coach Brian Daboll clarified that the choice to change quarterbacks was his and his alone.
“It’s also worth noting that Daboll said, ‘It’s my decision when turning to Dart.’ This shows that this regime needs to produce results. And Daboll knows that. That’s why after just three games, Jaxson Dart is already the Giants quarterback in place of Russell Wilson,” Jordan Raanan reported, via NFL on ESPN.
The Giants’ Jaxson Dart era arrives ahead of schedule
With a 9-26 record over the last two seasons with the Giants, Daboll entered the 2025 campaign on the hot seat. While ownership publicly supported the beleaguered head coach and refrained from giving a specific playoffs-or-bust mandate, the expectations were clear. Daboll needs to show progress in 2025 or he won’t be around for 2026.
Wilson’s post-Seattle Seahawks career has been uneven. But the Giants believed he showed enough last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers to be trusted as a bridge quarterback. After a disastrous 2024, Daboll just needed to demonstrate that he had the team heading in the right direction with a potential franchise quarterback waiting in the wings.
But the Giants quickly grew tired of the Wilson rollercoaster. After a dismal start in the season opener, during which New York failed to score a touchdown and was held to just 231 total yards, the team exploded in Week 2. Suddenly the Giants rolled up over 500 yards of offense and scored 37 points against the Dallas Cowboys. But Wilson’s ugly interception in overtime tarnished his career day and led to another loss.
Then, facing the Kansas City Chiefs in prime time, New York looked noncompetitive. Wilson threw for 160 scoreless yards and two interceptions. And the home crowd began chanting for Dart.
Ideally the Giants would wait a week to begin the Jaxson Dart era, allowing the rookie to debut against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. But, with concerns that additional exposure to Wilson’s quarterbacking could lose the locker room, New York will throw Dart to the viscous Los Angeles Chargers’ defense on Sunday.
