Jaxson Dart

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.

Giants Draft Fallout: Wilson, Dart, Daboll, Sanders, Schoen, Browns, Rams, Pack, Vikes

April 25th, 2025 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Post-draft, Brian Daboll confirmed Russell Wilson will remain the Giants‘ starter entering the season. Considering Jaxson Dart‘s profile, it should not be expected the former Ole Miss and USC passer would have a good chance to overtake Wilson before the season. But Daboll and GM Joe Schoen’s New York fates are almost definitely tethered to Dart now.

After passing on Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix last year, the Giants traded three Day 2 picks to land Dart at No. 25. They did not view any of the non-Cam Ward QBs in this class as worthy of No. 3 overall, where Abdul Carter went as expected. But the decision to go with Dart over Shedeur Sanders provided a signature sequence during this draft’s opening night.

A pre-draft report indicated the Giants were split on Sanders (as the Dart pairing gained steam), and while the QB still had support in the building going into the draft, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan indicates the Colorado prospect’s momentum cooled as the coaches became involved in the evaluation process. Rumblings of Daboll preferring Dart look to have been accurate. The Giants did more work on Sanders compared to Dart, per the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard, who indicates Schoen scouted on in-person Dart performance. Conversely, a pre-draft assessment tabbed the fourth-year Giants GM as having “lived in Boulder.”

It would appear Daboll drove the bus for Dart, as Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz offers, and teams’ reported issues with Sanders’ attitude look to have included a Giants encounter. A Daboll-Sanders pre-draft meeting did not go well, according to The Ringer’s Todd McShay (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy). A quarterback who had entered the pre-draft process as a fairly safe top-10 pick fell out of the first round, with Giants and Steelers decisions defining the second-generation NFL prospect’s night. The Steelers chose Oregon D-lineman Derrick Harmon four picks before the Giants moved back into Round 1 for Dart.

The Giants initially contacted other teams about trading up, as Duggan adds Schoen saw some of his offers to move back up rejected. We heard midway through the first round the Giants had launched their effort to move back into Round 1 — a rumored pursuit that we now know was Dart-based — but he did not see the offers gain much traction until around 22.

The Steelers passing undoubtedly intensified the Giants’ effort to land their second-favorite QB in this class (after Ward trade efforts failed). The Chargers passed to draft Omarion Hampton, but the Texans allowed the Giants to move up three spots later. It cost the team Nos. 34, 99 and a 2026 third-round pick. The Giants held a second third-rounder this year, helping move the trade across the goal line.

Green Bay and Minnesota turned down trade offers for the Nos. 23 and 24 overall picks, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman and the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. It is safe to assume Schoen made calls to both NFC North teams, as he was leery of another QB-needy club swooping in. The Browns, Saints and Rams had been connected to making a move at this juncture of the draft, while the Steelers’ need remained after their Harmon pick.

Several teams made the Packers offers, Brian Gutekunst said. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said talks intensified shortly before his team’s No. 24 pick. In addition to the QB-needy lot, the Falcons were angling to move up for edge rusher James Pearce Jr., which they did (via the Rams) at No. 26. That move cost a first-round pick, while the Giants escaped without needing to part with their 2026 first.

New York’s move came in part because of a fear the Browns were eyeing Dart, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets. Other teams shared this view, even though a draft-day report connected the Steelers, Rams and Saints to Dart. Though, the Browns were able to keep their Travis Hunter negotiations with the Jaguars quiet for weeks; they look to have done the same with Dart. Holding the top pick in Round 2 and a second selection three spots later (thanks to the Hunter swap), Cleveland now has its choice of the remaining QBs. The team could have put together an enticing package to move up, but it stood down. The Giants just made sure the AFC North club could not choose Dart. The Rams were not a factor for Dart, per Raanan and SNY’s Connor Hughes.

Although the Giants were still meeting on QBs this week, per Schoen, Leonard adds Daboll and Dart had begun texting daily after the Giants sent a sizable contingent to Ole Miss’ mid-March pro day. That communication understandably cooled before the draft, leaving Dart in the dark, but he will be asked to do what Daniel Jones could not. (That said, Jones was still a six-year Giants starter.) His tenure, however, moved Daboll and Schoen to the hot seat. Considering Jones was a Dave Gettleman pick, it had always seemed logical — despite the Wilson and Jameis Winston signings — this regime would tab its QB in this draft.

The Giants will aim to give Dart a full-season redshirt, Duggan adds. A previous plan did not get off the ground, as Jones replaced Eli Manning in Week 2 of his rookie season. Wilson’s post-Seattle play also may not be enough to hold off Dart, but the RPO-based college passer will almost definitely require some in-season acclimation time. Calls for the rookie will likely be loud, especially as the Giants’ schedule includes eight games against the NFC North and AFC West — not to mention the four against the teams that played for the NFC title last season.

The Schoen-Daboll regime also stands to be eager to sink or swim with a quarterback it drafted, rather than allow Wilson to steer the ship too far off course while John Mara evaluates the current power structure’s future. Going into training camp, however, Wilson will have a firm grip on the job. This will be new territory for the potential Hall of Famer, however, as he has not needed to fend off a highly drafted rookie previously.

Giants Acquire No. 25, Select QB Jaxson Dart

April 24th, 2025 at 11:22pm CST by Ben Levine

There was some speculation about the Giants jumping back into the first round as they pursued a QB, and the front office has made that a reality. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that the team has acquired pick No. 25 from the Texans. The Giants will use their new pick to select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.

Full trade details:

Giants acquire:

2025 first-round pick (No. 25)

Texans acquire:

2025 second-round pick (No. 34)
2025 third-round pick (No. 99)
2026 third-round pick

With the Titans committed to Cam Ward at No. 1, holding there despite multiple Giants offers (one of which including the team’s 2026 first-round pick), Big Blue pivoted to the draft’s second wave of QBs. The team did extensive homework on some of the draft’s other top passing prospects. That included Dart, but it also included Shedeur Sanders, who was generally considered the second-best player at his position.

There was some speculation that a team could make a move up the draft board to select the Colorado product early in the first round, and there was some belief that the Giants could even ignore the draft’s blue chip prospects and simply use No. 3 on Sanders. Instead, Sanders — after a report the Giants were split on the two-year Colorado starter — ended up falling all the way to No. 25, and the Giants made the move…to select Dart.

It’s a pretty stunning development, but it may not be as much of an indictment on Sanders as it is a vote of confidence for Dart. The Ole Miss product recently came up as a player Brian Daboll liked, and the prospect quickly evolved from a potential Day 2 pick into a potential Day 1 pick throughout the pre-draft process. Daboll-Dart connections had developed for a bit leading up to the draft, and the fourth-year HC may well be staking his job on the SEC prospect — after Dave Gettleman-era draftee Daniel Jones defined the first three years of Daboll and GM Joe Schoen‘s tenure.

Dart had three strong seasons at Ole Miss, but he took it to another level in 2024. The prospect finished the campaign having completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. Dart also continued to show some ability on the ground, compiling 495 rushing yards on 124 carries. Thanks to an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl, Dart separated himself from the likes of Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe…and he apparently did enough to jump Sanders on the draft board.

Dart, 22 in May, will now join a Giants squad that was clearly hunting for a future signal caller. The Giants obviously believe in Dart’s ability considering the investment, but with Daboll and Schoen on the hot seat, leadership may not be inclined to immediately toss the rookie into the starting lineup.

The Jones era came to an end last season, and Tommy DeVito is the only holdover from the former QB grouping. Since free agency started, the team added a pair of notable veterans in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and both of those players will surely sit above their new rookie teammate on the depth chart. Wilson notably only inked a one-year contract with New York, and while Winston’s deal is for two seasons, Dart could have a pathway to a starting gig in 2026. Whether the current regime is around to see it remains to be seen.

Rams, Saints, Steelers Showing Interest In Jaxson Dart

April 24th, 2025 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Brian Daboll–Jaxson Dart connections preceding a report that pegged Shedeur Sanders as the QB2 on the Giants’ big board illustrates where we are on the NFL calendar effectively. This is peak smokescreen season.

Dart, though, was among the QBs to gain momentum as the pre-draft process wore on. The chance he becomes this draft’s second QB chosen, over Sanders, is squarely on the radar, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. While Ely Allen’s PFR mock placed Dart ahead of Sanders, the latter falling to the QB3 slot in this draft — after being viewed as close to Cam Ward late last year — would be a blow for the second-generation NFL prospect. Daniel Jeremiah’s final NFL.com big board places Sanders 20th and Dart 36th.

A Malik Willis-like fall seems unlikely for Sanders, given the number of teams looking for quarterbacks, but his stock has undeniably taken a hit during the pre-draft process. Dart would stand to benefit, with Howe adding the Saints, Steelers and Rams are showing interest in the Ole Miss product. All three hosted Dart on “30” visits.

A Rams-Tyler Shough connection also emerged this week, and while it seemed then like the team would not use its first-round pick (No. 26) on a Matthew Stafford successor (as opposed to arming the roster to help the aging QB), this Dart rumor gives such a decision some legs. Stafford is under contract for two more seasons, but his contract adjustment still has not been revealed.

The Saints were tied to Dart a few weeks ago, and they have certainly done plenty of work on the QB. PFR’s mock sent Dart to New Orleans, but the team is not expected to want to use its No. 9 overall pick for a passer. Of course, if the Saints balk, they run the risk of missing out on their preferred second-tier QB option in this draft. And they still do not have Derek Carr clarity.

If the Saints do delay their QB need at 9, the Steelers will become the team to watch. Clubs already look to be closely monitoring Pittsburgh for a QB pick, as Denver’s No. 20 selection has come up in trade rumors. The Steelers (No. 21) appear to be sending signals in all directions, as Mike Tomlin is believed to back Sanders. Dart has come up on multiple occasions here as well, and a trade-down rumor — as the Steelers initially did not expect Sanders to fall out of the top 10 — also emerged.

As Aaron Rodgers has continued to leave the Steelers hanging, they have a decision to make soon. If Carr is able to play in 2025, the Saints and Rams have starter-caliber options to deploy. The Steelers would have a basement-level option in Mason Rudolph, highlighting their high-stakes draft.

Giants-Jaxson Dart Pairing Gaining Steam; Team Split On Shedeur Sanders?

April 22nd, 2025 at 11:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nearing the finish line of a second straight quarterback research project ahead of a draft, the Giants have covered their bases on Shedeur Sanders. Although they are not expected to draft the second-generation NFL prospect at No. 3 overall, rumors indicating a trade-up move to acquire him are still circulating.

The Giants spoke with Sanders at the Combine, hosted him on a “30” visit, dined with him before Colorado’s pro day and worked him out in Boulder last week. Darius Slayton‘s sister, Maleika, also serves as Colorado’s director of on-campus recruiting. Describing Joe Schoen‘s thorough examination of Sanders, one GM informed ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter the fourth-year GM “has lived in Boulder.” Still, Sanders’ stock has undeniably fallen since last season, when Giants connections first emerged.

Sanders-Giants hype has “cooled dramatically” since December, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes, who indicates Jaxson Dart buzz is building. The Ole Miss product came up as a player Brian Daboll liked, and Hughes calls Dart a name to watch regarding a trade-up move. Dart has been tied to the Saints and Steelers as well, as the three teams join the Browns as clubs interested in the second wave of QBs in this draft — though, perhaps not with a high pick in the round.

A trade-up derby of sorts is shaping up after the Titans’ Cam Ward pick (one almost certain to begin the draft). Sanders does not seem out of the question to be a Giants target after they make a pick at No. 3 overall (presumably Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter), but Schefter adds a belief within the league points to some in the Giants’ organization are higher on Sanders than others. A recent report also pegged the Daboll-Schoen relationship becoming increasingly tense — as their seats warm — though Daboll, as could be expected, said (via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz) he and his former Bills coworker are aligned.

After Dave Gettleman pick Daniel Jones‘ extended runway to prove a worthy Eli Manning successor did not produce a smooth takeoff, Schoen and Daboll may have just one more offseason to identify their own QB. John Mara said in January his patience has almost run out with the state of the team, raising the stakes for this draft. While Schoen has said the signings of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston give the team flexibility, not leaving this draft with a long-term option will make for a difficult sell.

The prospect of Sanders falling out of the first round should not be ruled out, per SI.com’s Albert Breer. As our Ely Allen noted in his prospect evaluation of the two-year Buffaloes starter, rumblings about the QB’s attitude turning teams off emerged during the pre-draft process. The Giants may have been one of them, as Breer describes the team as having gone through ups and downs with the passer during its lengthy evaluation.

While Sanders’ attitude may have alienated some during the earlier stages of this process, Breer adds the polarizing prospect is believed to have displayed more modesty recently. With his stock no longer approaching that of Ward, it would understandable if Sanders’ tune has changed as teams determine whether a player whose on-field traits have not proved captivating can be a long-term centerpiece.

Sanders falling out of the top 10 appears more likely, as a recent Breer offering indicated an owner may need to become involved for a team to pull the trigger in Round 1. While not viewing that assessment as gospel, Breer still can envision a Sanders fall. This could put the Steelers to a decision at No. 21, but with a report Mike Tomlin likes the QB surfacing, clubs have a range to target when preparing a trade-up maneuver. Sanders’ landing spot has probably become the most interesting storyline leading up to the draft.

Load More Posts