Jaxson Dart

Giants Not Making Jameis Winston Available In Trades

August 21st, 2025 at 10:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jaxson Dart capped off a promising preseason tonight. While Brian Daboll continues to reaffirm Russell Wilson‘s starter status, calls for the rookie to receive the call will be plentiful in the coming weeks.

While Daboll has (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan) labeled Dart as developing and Wilson his starter, Jameis Winston is also rostered. The Giants gave Winston a two-year, $8MM deal days before signing Wilson. Some in the team’s building preferred Winston to Wilson during free agency. But the former No. 1 overall pick hovers in a gray area for now, making it worth wondering if the Giants would consider moving on early.

Assistant GM Brandon Brown attempted to shoot that down, saying this week (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) Winston is “a New York Giant” and noted the 11th-year passer wants to stay. This reinforces what NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo had heard about this situation previously. Moving past some early-career off-field trouble, Winston has become something of a character as he has traveled the league. The 2024 Browns fill-in drew interest from the 49ers and Chargers on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. It took until March 21 for Winston to sign, however.

The Giants having both Winston and Wilson would stand to represent overkill behind Dart (if/once the rookie takes over this year), though the team’s QB reserves obviously became an issue a few times this decade. It would be perhaps a slight surprise if all three of New York’s top passers remained on the roster by season’s end — especially if Dart proves ready by then. Winston being signed to a two-year deal would give the Giants a multiyear Dart backup and/or a player to reevaluate trading in 2026.

A report earlier this month pegged the Giants in being OK leaving the first-round rookie on the bench for the full season. Based on the rate at which Round 1 QBs play as rookies (and considering Wilson’s post-Seattle struggles), it would be shocking if Dart did not play this season. After a 32-for-47, 372-yard, three-touchdown preseason, the Ole Miss product certainly helped his cause for early-season playing time. Would that inevitable promotion then move Wilson, rather than Winston, to the trade block?

An unquestioned starter between beating out Matt Flynn in 2012 and being benched in Week 17 of the 2023 season, Wilson will generate an interesting Hall of Fame debate down the road. He is tied to a one-year, $10.5MM deal ($10MM guaranteed). The Giants also face the NFL’s toughest schedule, and that docket includes road games against the Commanders and Cowboys before Chiefs and Chargers home tilts. Although a reprieve (via the Saints) comes in Week 5, the Giants go Eagles-Broncos-Eagles after that.

It is possible the team will want Wilson to navigate that schedule early, but with Daboll and GM Joe Schoen on hot seats, an understandable temptation to play the QB they drafted will probably emerge. With Tommy DeVito perhaps headed for the practice squad (or potentially elsewhere) next week, how the Giants proceed with Wilson and Winston before the November 4 deadline will be an interesting QB storyline to monitor. Wilson has changed teams thrice since 2022; how likely is it that he moves again before season’s end?

Giants Willing To Let Jaxson Dart Sit Throughout Season?

August 8th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

First-round quarterbacks almost never sit throughout their rookie seasons. The Packers have, of course, executed two such plans since 2005; select other teams have also kept Round 1 QB prospects on the bench — just not many.

The Chiefs did not turn to Patrick Mahomes until Week 17 of his rookie year, and that came in a meaningless season-ender while Alex Smith prepared for a wild-card game. In the rookie-scale contract era (2011-present), some of the other players not to be called upon as non-injury-driven starters as rookies — Trey Lance, Paxton Lynch, Jake Locker — did not pan out. Teams, though, regularly pay lip service to the old-school watch-and-learn method — one that benefited Mahomes in the 2010s and Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer and Chad Pennington in the aughts.

Selecting Jaxson Dart 25th overall (via trade-up with the Texans), the Giants are in an interesting spot. Their refusal to draft Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix — after a Drake Maye-based trade-up effort failed — last year preceded a 3-14 season and a dire QB need forming. The team settled on Russell Wilson as its bridge option, as plans to draft one of the scrutinized 2025 passers — after a Cam Ward-based trade-up failed — were well known. The Giants landed on Dart, the second QB drafted, thanks to a push from Brian Daboll.

Daboll has proclaimed Wilson as his starter at multiple junctures, but the potential Hall of Fame quarterback is now on his fourth team in five years. The 36-year-old option also readies to face what is, based on last year’s win totals at least, the NFL’s toughest schedule. The Giants would buck a well-established trend by letting Wilson play ahead of Dart all season, but Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano indicates the team would be “completely fine” if this happened.

Of course, this reality would likely require Wilson to keep the Giants in the playoff hunt. It would be a bit of a stretch to expect the Giants, whose regime is on the hot seat thanks to backing Dave Gettleman‘s preferred QB option (Daniel Jones), to keep Dart benched for too long if it becomes clear they are not a viable playoff contender. How the team handles Wilson and Jameis Winston at the trade deadline in this scenario would be worth monitoring closely as well. Currently, Dart is stationed behind both on New York’s depth chart.

Gettleman had said in 2019 the Giants were OK with the Chiefs model, but the team benched Eli Manning for Jones two games in. Given Wilson’s journey since a 2022 blockbuster trade ended his Seattle stay, it will be a tough ask to prevent Daboll from promoting a player he essentially handpicked.

As detailed in our Giants Offseason In Review piece, the Daboll-Joe Schoen duo not making their own QB investment from 2022-24 would stand to influence Dart’s timeline — especially if Wilson struggles against a tough schedule early. Though, it will be on the Giants’ staff to determine how close the Ole Miss prospect is to game-ready.

Wilson played effectively for the Steelers last season, following a 26-touchdown pass/eight-interception 2023 bounce-back year in Denver. But neither team wanted him back. The Broncos paid a record-smashing dead money sum to ditch Wilson, and the Steelers preferred a few options — Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Justin Fields — over their primary 2024 starter.

This came after a difficult finish to Pittsburgh’s schedule brought five straight losses to close a season that began 10-3. Wilson ranked 21st in QBR in Pittsburgh and 22nd in Denver over the past two seasons; that would be an upgrade for New York, but calls for Dart figure to be loud if the Giants start slowly.

Some Giants Personnel Preferred Jameis Winston To Russell Wilson

July 2nd, 2025 at 7:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Russell Wilson remains penciled in as the Giants QB1, even after the team used a first-round selection on Jaxson Dart. However, if anyone was going to unseat Wilson from his unofficial starting gig, it’d likely be another notable name on the depth chart.

As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes, there are some inside the franchise who preferred Jameis Winston to Wilson. Specifically, the Winston proponents were focused on how the two acquisitions “came off in their visits” with the franchise before putting pen to paper.

To Wilson’s credit, he’s been putting in work on building a rapport with his new teammates. Per Schwartz, the QB has gone into “overdrive” as he tries to build relationships with his new squad. The veteran also drew praise for his showing at spring practices, although he’ll obviously only be judged on his performance during the regular season.

The two veterans signed within a week of each other, but the Giants have made it clear all along that Wilson will lead the depth chart and Winston will serve as the QB2. Wilson, of course, brings the track record and recent starting experience. The former Super Bowl champ has continued to start in his post-Seahawks career, including stints with the Broncos and Steelers. He’s only gone 17-24 over those three seasons, and it’s fair to wonder how short of a leash he’ll have in New York as Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen remain on the hot seat.

Winston doesn’t bring the same recent starting experience as his new teammate. Since leaving the Buccaneers after the 2019 season, the former first-overall pick has started only 17 games across five years. He went 5-2 with the Saints in 2021, but he’s since gone 3-7 in his last 10 starts. While Winston seemed to temporarily curb his turnover issues in New Orleans, he’s seen his interception rate come in at 4.4 percent over the past three years.

Both options are relatively uninspiring, especially for a Giants regime that’s on the brink of losing their jobs. Dart represents the unknown, and on most squads, it wouldn’t be surprising for a coach to eventually give their rookie a shot. In New York, it sounds like Dart may have to leapfrog two veterans if he has any hope of starting in 2025.

Russell Wilson “Really Wanted To Play” With Malik Nabers

June 24th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Russell Wilson‘s free agency didn’t feature a long list of suitors, but the QB still had a handful of options during the early stages of the offseason. Ultimately, the veteran landed with the Giants, and he said the presence of their top receiver had a major influence on his decision.

During an appearance at Fanatics Fest last weekend, Wilson said Malik Nabers was the main reason he ultimately signed with the Giants.

“I came here because of him,” Wilson said (via Empire Sports Media’s Anthony Rivardo). “I really wanted to play with someone who is special like him.”

It’s easy to understand Wilson’s affection for the young receiver. Even as the Giants shuffled through three different quarterback starters, Nabers continued to put up big numbers.

He ended up setting the NFL rookie record for receptions (109), and he finished his first professional season with 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. With some consistency under center, there’s hope the former sixth-overall pick can take another leap in 2025.

Even as the Steelers continued to be linked to Aaron Rodgers, Wilson remained interested in returning for a second season in Pittsburgh. The Browns were also mentioned as a potential landing spot, as the quarterback ended up taking a visit to Cleveland. Ultimately, Wilson landed in New York, a move that seemed like a long time coming.

The Giants were a consideration for Wilson as he determined his post-Seahawks options, although Seattle ultimately sent their franchise quarterback to the Broncos. Then, when Wilson hit free agency last offseason, he briefly flirted with the Giants before eventually landing in Pittsburgh.

Wilson is finally in New York, and it sounds like he won’t face any competition for his starting spot to begin the 2025 campaign. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Wilson was spotted taking every first-team rep during OTAs. The QB1 competition would presumably come from first-round rookie Jaxson Dart, although it sounds like the organization intends to keep the Ole Miss product on the bench for the 2025 campaign. Jameis Winston was brought in as a high-quality QB2, and the Giants will also have to determine what they’re going to do with former part-time starter Tommy DeVito.

Giants Sign First-Round QB Jaxson Dart

May 30th, 2025 at 2:58pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Giants’ offseason quest to find a long-term franchise quarterback is finally and formally complete.

First-round pick Jaxson Dart put pen to paper on his rookie contract, per a team announcement, locking in a fully guaranteed four-year deal with a fifth-year option for the 2029 season.

Dart, the 25th overall selection in last month’s draft, will earn $16.954MM on his first NFL contract with an $8.97MM signing bonus, according to Art Stapleton of NJ.com. He may not start as a rookie with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston also in the quarterback room, but the Giants are likely expecting Dart to take over as the team’s signal-caller in 2026.

A redshirt rookie year might be ideal for his long-term development. Dart played in a quarterback-friendly offense at Ole Miss with heavy use of play-action and RPOs to streamline his reads, but the NFL will required faster, more complicated processing. He also has a tendency to hold onto the ball, which might be especially dangerous behind a Giants offensive line that lacks elite talent outside of left tackle Andrew Thomas.

However, Dart’s arm talent, mobility, and competitive toughness form a solid foundation for a future starter. The Giants’ offensive braintrust of Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka struggled to get the best out of Daniel Jones, but they may have better luck with a quarterback they wanted to bring in. New York still needs better protection and another playmaker or two on offense, but Dart will have two reliable targets through at least 2027 in Malik Nabers and the recently re-signed Darius Slayton. Nabers exploded for 1,204 yards on 109 receptions as a rookie in 2024, while the underrated Slayton has been a solid if unspectacular pass-catcher throughout his career.

Perception Exists Giants’ Front Office Preferred Shedeur Sanders Over Jaxson Dart

May 20th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

After three seasons attempting to make an inherited quarterback work, the Joe Schoen–Brian Daboll regime will attempt to move their way off hot seats via the passer they drafted. Jaxson Dart is now in place after Daniel Jones did not come close to living up to his $40MM-per-year contract.

Dart-Giants connections began to emerge shortly before the draft, as Shedeur Sanders‘ freefall commenced. Coaches become involved in the process as the winter progresses, and Daboll was believed to be convicted in his belief Dart would be Big Blue’s best available option (after the Titans repeatedly rebuffed the Giants’ efforts to trade up to No. 1). Schoen has attempted to push back on the notion he gave in to his coaches’ preference.

“It was an organizational decision,” Schoen said during an appearance on Up & Adams (h/t the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy). “Any player that we take, it’s a collaborative process and it’s very detailed, and we believe in it. … Three coaches on staff (Daboll, OC Mike Kafka and QBs coach Shea Tierney) that have been part of the development of two pretty good quarterbacks in the league right now (Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen), and when they are convicted on a player and the scouting staff is convicted on a player, typically you have the best chance for success in those situations.”

Schoen told Kay Adams that Dart was on the Giants’ radar “throughout the fall,” though a post-draft report indicated the Giants did more in-person work on Sanders compared to the Ole Miss starter. Schoen is believed to have scouted just one Dart game in-person, while a previous report indicated the GM had “lived in Boulder” as Sanders hype increased. A pre-draft report also indicated the Giants were split on Sanders, potentially placing the divide between the front office and coaching staff. Enough information has come out pointing to Daboll playing the lead role in ensuring the Giants did not draft the Colorado QB.

A perception exists within personnel departments the Giants’ front office preferred Sanders, Dunleavy notes, before Daboll and his staff came to hold Dart in higher regard. The Giants spent more time with Sanders than any team spent with any prospect, Dunleavy adds. That would paint the picture of a mid-process pivot, as Dart certainly appeared to gain steam late. A pre-draft report tabbed Sanders as being the No. 2 QB on the Giants’ big board (behind Cam Ward), but that could certainly have been a smokescreen effort considering the Dart trade-up, which helped key Sanders’ freefall.

Some Daboll-Sanders friction is believed to have taken place during an install session. While Dart impressed Giants decision-makers during his install, Sanders not being as prepared became a point of contention. The Giants are, of course, not the only team to come away unimpressed with Sanders’ approach during the pre-draft process, as multiple teams took the QB off their boards.

Sanders having taken the strange step — for a player with his prospect profile, at least — of approaching team meetings like a recruit, rather than as a job interview, certainly rubbed teams the wrong way. His slide from potential top-10 pick to No. 144 represents perhaps the most notable tumble in draft history. Sanders’ actions may well have determined the Giants’ QB future; that said, pre-draft offerings also had some teams ranking Dart ahead of the two-year Colorado standout.

Daboll and Schoen have worked together since 2018, when the former arrived as the Bills’ OC. A report of tension between the two emerged earlier this offseason, and it appears Daboll’s QB pick will hold the current regime’s future in his hands.

First Round Fallout: Giants, Dart, Sanders, Steelers, Broncos, Alexander

May 18th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Rory Parks

The Giants, heavily connected to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders throughout the pre-draft process, used the No. 3 overall in last month’s draft – a pick once seemingly ticketed for Sanders – on Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. The club ultimately got the player it hopes will become its franchise passer when it struck an agreement with the Texans to trade up from No. 34 to No. 25 and select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.

A recent episode of Giants Life, which is worth a watch for any NFL fan and for Giants fans in particular, offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the trade-up with Houston materialized (video link). As New York GM Joe Schoen confirms, rival teams knew that Big Blue, after having used its first selection on a non-quarterback, was still in the market for a QB. As such, when the draft proceeded to the No. 18 pick (at which point the Seahawks were on the clock), Schoen began getting calls from other GMs looking to trade down to No. 34.

When the draft moved into the 20s, Schoen himself became proactive and began making calls to determine who was interested in trading down. As Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post observes, Schoen believed he could swing a deal with the Broncos to acquire Denver’s No. 20 overall pick, which would have allowed him to leapfrog the Steelers and their No. 21 choice. Schoen knew Pittsburgh was in need of a quarterback as well, though he had intelligence indicating the team was also looking to trade back, which suggested the Steelers were not prepared to take a signal-caller at that point.

He nonetheless considered offering the Steelers the same deal that apparently had been discussed with multiple clubs. However, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Giants were banking on the belief that Pittsburgh would select a defensive player with the No. 21 pick, thereby obviating the need to trade for No. 20 or No. 21. This is despite Schoen’s concern, as he voiced in Giants Life, that the QB-needy Browns or Saints could also move back into the first round (though he knew division rivals Pittsburgh and Cleveland would not come together on a trade of that magnitude). Fowler also says New York did not want to part with its No. 65 selection, which the Texans were willing to exclude from a trade package.

Ultimately, the Giants and Texans agreed to a trade that sent the Nos. 34 and 99 picks of the 2025 draft, along with a 2026 third-rounder, to Houston in exchange for the No. 25 pick and the right to select Dart. As Schoen admitted, no one will remember the third-round picks that went to the Texans if he got the Dart pick right. Interestingly, right before Houston GM Nick Caserio called Schoen to formally accept the deal, it looks as if Schoen received a call from Rams GM Les Snead. Los Angeles originally held the No. 26 pick, one spot behind the Texans, so Schoen naturally put Snead on hold to talk to Caserio and finalize a trade. Ultimately, Snead found a taker for his No. 26 selection, which he dealt to the Falcons in exchange for a package fronted by a 2026 first-rounder.

Dunleavy highlighted the portion of Schoen’s war room conversations in which he told head coach Brian Daboll, “you guys are convicted in [Dart]. You believe in him. We did the process. He checked all the boxes. Let’s roll the dice.” That exchange leads Dunleavy to believe the Dart pick, as previously reported, was indeed driven by the coaching staff.

Earlier reports also indicated Daboll was one of the coaches who did not see eye-to-eye with Sanders, and while the Giants reportedly still would have entertained a trade-up for Sanders if Dart had been taken off the board, multiple Daboll-Dart connections formed in the run-up to the draft. It became clear that Dart was Daboll’s preferred target, and Sanders himself acknowledged that he “didn’t hit it off with Giants coaches,” according to Fowler.

The No. 65 pick that the Giants did not want to include in a trade-up maneuver was used to select Toledo defensive end Darius Alexander. Though New York had already added the high-ceiling Carter to a group that includes Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, the club further leaned into its defensive front with Alexander, whom many scouts viewed as an ascending prospect. One team source told Fowler, “when you think of the New York Giants, you think of how they are built up front.”

Giants Made Draft-Day Attempt To Acquire No. 1 Pick

May 8th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

To no surprise, the Giants were one of two teams which exited the opening night of this year’s draft with a quarterback, with the Titans being the other. Just before Cam Ward officially became the top pick, the teams discussed a trade.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen called counterpart Mike Borgonzi to discuss the first overall pick, as shown in the debut episode of the team’s Giants Life documentary (video link). The conversation proved to be rather brief, with Schoen remaining convinced the Titans turned aside the last-minute trade interest to select Ward. Minutes later, they did just that.

Moving out of the No. 1 slot was seen as a distinct possibility early in the offseason as a result of Tennessee’s myriad roster needs and the less-than-stellar nature of this year’s QB class. Over time, though, Ward distanced himself as the top option for signal-callers and a strong showing during the pre-draft process convinced the Titans to stand pat. That left suitors for the top selections – such as the Giants – to move in a different direction during the draft.

Just like Cleveland (which originally owned the second overall pick), New York (No. 3) showed interest well before the start of the draft in moving up to the top spot. A report from March linked both the Giants and Jets to pursuing a trade for the No. 1 pick, but by the start of April it appeared Schoen and Co. were convinced doing so would not be possible. That proved to be the case, albeit not without a last-minute attempt on the part of the Giants.

Schoen left the door open to a quarterback being selected third overall, although by the time edge rusher Abdul Carter heard his name called that move came as no surprise. After retaining the No. 3 selection, New York ultimately swung a deal to move back into the Day 1 order and select Jaxson Dart 25th overall. The Ole Miss product will spend his rookie season on a depth chart which also includes free agent additions Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.

Dart gained traction as a first-round prospect in the build-up to the draft, and he found himself the second passer to come off the board. Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have their potential long-term answer under center in the fold as a result while their respective tenures remain a question after three years at the helm. It will be interesting to see how Dart’s New York tenure unfolds against the backdrop of the team’s continued efforts to acquire Ward prior to selecting him.

2025 NFL Draft Rumors: Texans, Browns, Williams

May 3rd, 2025 at 3:46pm CST by Ely Allen

We entered the 2025 NFL Draft in unprecedented waters as all 32 teams were set to have their own first-round picks for the first time since the AFL-NFL merger. In fact, when the Tennessee was put on the clock, all teams still had their own first-round picks. Before that, the closest the draft had ever come to starting without any first-round trades was in 1993, when the Chiefs traded their first-rounder to the 49ers for Joe Montana just five days before the draft.

While Cleveland and Jacksonville were the first teams to ruin that pristine first round with a trade, the Texans and Rams were the only teams to trade completely out of the first round. In fact, all nine of Houston’s draft picks were the results of trades. We already discussed how the team looked to move back up into the first round for Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, but on Fan Duel TV’s Up & Adams show with Kay Adams, Texans general manager Nick Caserio detailed how they were initially attempting to move up into the top half of the first round but were unable to find a partner, so they looked instead into moving down, fielding several offers.

“We tried to move up a little bit,” Caserio told Adams. “It didn’t really work out. At about the 18, 19, 20 range, we started to get some calls about our pick, so we were putting the information up on the board.”

“We had actually three different trade scenarios that were on the board at one time,” Caserio continued. “We had trade scenarios, we were prepared to pick a player…and then we were on the clock, and a pick before — I think when Minnesota picked at 24 — and after they picked, we were able to consummate the trade with the Giants. So, we scooted back there to the second round and then had the second pick there to start Friday.”

Here are a few other draft rumors from the days following the 2025 NFL Draft:

In a Q&A earlier this week, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated dropped an interesting tidbit about the Browns‘ potential first-round strategy last Thursday night. We’ve covered Breer’s earlier report that Cleveland attempted to get back into the first round for Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., but he has since reasoned that the team was potentially looking for Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart late in the first round. Ultimately, it was the Giants that made the move back into the 25th overall spot for Dart, but there’s a chance the Browns may have done so if New York hadn’t acted when they did.
Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams found himself getting drafted at the tail end of the first round by the Lions at No. 28 overall. Shortly after the draft, Williams told Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network that he believes the Bills would have taken him two picks later if Detroit hadn’t selected him. Buffalo had considered defensive tackle a serious position of need as DaQuan Jones heads into a contract year, and head coach Sean McDermott and defensive line coach Marcus West told Williams they loved his game and how he played. There’s a chance Williams could’ve been headed to northern New York had Lions general manager Brad Holmes been more receptive to the phone calls he’d received gauging his interest in trading back from the 28th overall pick.

Giants Considered Trading Up For Shedeur Sanders; Teams Took QB Off Draft Boards?

April 28th, 2025 at 9:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL may never see a fifth-round pick overshadow its draft again, but it certainly happened this past weekend. Shedeur Sanders‘ fall to No. 144 perplexed most, but it came after rumblings of the QB’s stock having tumbled ahead of the selection event.

Countless instances of players with criminal backgrounds becoming early-round picks have been part of the draft’s history, but it appeared as though teams determined Sanders’ skillset was not worth any potential off-field distractions he and his family might provide. As we move away from the draft, more evidence toward that case is emerging.

Before Round 4 began, a report that indicated Sanders not being a first-round pick pertained to a lack of high-level traits while then pointing to the Day 2 snub coming from teams not wanting their backup to bring a “circus” atmosphere. A Monday offering indicated Sanders indeed run into issues during the pre-draft process, particularly with coaches. Quarterback-turned-veteran media presence Boomer Esiason has offered more to this end.

Esiason said during his Boomer and Gio WFAN Sports Radio show (video link) that multiple teams took Sanders off their draft board due to his attitude during interviews. Owners drove these decisions, Esiason added, with perceived Sanders entitlement a central issue here. Deion Sanders having also mentioned potential intervention with regards to steering his son away from certain teams also “didn’t help.”

Shedeur Sanders fell from a player in contention for the No. 1 overall pick, before Cam Ward evaluations separated the Miami product, to someone not expected to drop out of the top 10 to a player not a lock to go in Round 1. Coaches becoming more involved in the process are believed to have affected this, at least it is believed to have impacted the Giants’ approach, and Esiason adds that Sanders’ brash attitude proved off-putting to “many, many” GMs and coaches. Clubs were certainly hesitant on Sanders becoming the face of a franchise, as the three-day fall illustrated.

We heard before Round 2 the Saints were unlikely to choose Sanders, despite carrying QB uncertainty going into the draft. They indeed went another way, taking Tyler Shough at No. 40. The Seahawks (Jalen Milroe) and Browns (Dillon Gabriel) followed suit. It was fairly clear the Browns were not planning to draft Sanders, having made Gabriel their choice in Round 3. But as he fell into the fifth round, a Cleveland team attempting to move past the Deshaun Watson mistake traded up for him. Sanders and Gabriel will vie for the starting job along with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.

While the Browns were not one of the teams whose owner put a reported kibosh on a Sanders selection, the Giants moved three Day 2 picks to the Texans for Jaxson Dart. They did this after extensive Sanders homework. Big Blue is believed to have done more work on Sanders compared to Dart, but Brian Daboll — who was believed to have been among the coaches who did not see eye-to-eye with the Colorado QB — is believed to have driven a push for the Ole Miss passer. That said, the Giants still considered moving up for Sanders — had Dart been off the board — per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

The Giants were believed to be leery of the Browns for a Dart move, and their trade offers appeared to emerge after the Steelers passed on Dart at No. 21. This brought New York’s long-debated Dart-or-Sanders decision to the forefront, and as Daboll and GM Joe Schoen attempt to make cases to last beyond Year 4 in their respective roles, Dart will be in line to eventually replace Russell Wilson.

As reports of teams being miffed at Shedeur Sanders’ tactics ahead of the draft multiply, the historic slide begins to make a bit more sense. The former Colorado and Jackson State signal-caller potentially overplaying his hand regarding his approach to the interview process will likely come up for many years during draft time. For 2025, he will attempt to prove the league — which includes his own team, which drafted Gabriel 50 spots before him — wrong for its determination on his prospect value.

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