At CC Sabathia’s LegaCCy Gala to honor his Hall of Fame baseball career and benefit his Pitcch In Foundation, I asked New York Giants legend and current WFAN host Tiki Barber whether the New York Giants should bench Russell Wilson and start rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss. His response on the subject was clear.

“I’ll say what I’ve been saying all week [on WFAN] …He’s not ready yet, this is STILL the Russell Wilson experience, but a couple more weeks of this and we might be changing our tune!”

Of course, it’s important to note that I asked him this question the Monday after the Giants' Week 1 loss to the Commanders on Sunday, Sept 7.

Wilson, despite a costly late-game interception in overtime, was fantastic for the Giants in their 40-37 Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Jerry World this past weekend.

He finished the day with a very impressive stat line. The 37-year-old Wilson had a career-high 454 passing yards (breaking his previous high of 452), three touchdown passes, and that one interception.

The fans/pundits screaming for the Giants to start the rookie Dart will be silenced, at least for this week.

Big Blue is 0-2 with the following coming up on their schedule:

  • Week 3 vs Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs
  • Week 4 vs Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers
  • Week 5 at New Orleans Saints
  • Week 6 vs the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles

An important note: Based on combined winning percentages from the 2024 season, the Giants have the toughest schedule in the league. Their opponents went 166-123 last season, good for a .574 winning percentage.

The Giants traded up to the 25th pick of the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Dart, a three-year starter from Ole Miss. The expectation is that, eventually, he could become their franchise QB. The guy to lead the G-Men back to the Super Bowl since Eli Manning beat Tom Brady and the Patriots back in Super Bowl 46.

In March, Big Blue signed Russ to a one-year, $10.5 million deal. You have to figure the Giants didn’t add Russ– a Super Bowl champion that would've had back-to-back titles if head coach Pete Carroll decided to run the ball– to their QB room, just to blow the whole thing up after just a few games.

And Dart very likely could benefit from sitting and learning from a proven veteran in Wilson, be it for four weeks, 12 weeks, or even the whole season.

But as Tiki said to me last week, “A couple more weeks of this, and we might be changing our tune.”

Then comes the info from ESPN's Adam Schefter this past week before the Cowboys game that there is “no sense of urgency” in the Giants organization to bench Russell Wilson and start rookie Jaxson Dart, sources told ESPN.

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It doesn't mean a change can't come soon at the quarterback position, but the Giants would prefer that it not happen anytime soon, according to those sources. New York would prefer to continue to be patient, let Wilson play well, and give Dart the time he needs to develop, sources said.

My point of view on this is the following: You didn’t sign Jaxson Dart to keep him on the bench. If the Giants REALLY do believe he is the QB of the future, he needs to end up on the field. There's only so much he can learn from the sidelines. If this ends up being a lost season, let him get the necessary in-game reps he needs to really learn, grow and develop into an NFL starter.

It is no surprise to anyone that Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are coaching for their lives right now. It's hard to say exactly what the barometer is for John Mara to keep the Daboll-Schoen regime on for another year, but one thing is for sure: you NEED to win games and win them NOW!

The question the Giants need to figure out, at some point this season, is whether Jaxson Dart gives them a much better chance to do so.

I am still of the mindset that the New York Giants, despite everything that has happened to the franchise since beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 46, the second victory over the GOAT in five years, are still one of the gold standards of the NFL—along with the Steelers, Packers, Patriots, etc.

For a team that has won eight NFL championships (including four Super Bowls) and 700 franchise victories, the last 13 have been pathetic. You've won one playoff game since 2012!

Only three teams have won fewer in that span: the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Russ's resume alone may have bought him more than a few weeks as the starter, but the real question is, how much longer do the Giants let this experience run?

Wilson's career passing day at Jerry World will put off the conversation for at least another week.

Up next? Sunday Night Football vs Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Swifties at MetLife next weekend.

Never a dull moment in the Big Apple.