Week 4 is not going to be a one-off or a short-leashed debut for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll confirmed on Wednesday that the 22-year-old rookie passer will be Big Blue’s starter for the remainder of the 2025 season — his first start coming on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium against the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers (1 p.m. ET).
“I think we’ve taken steps along the way with [Dart], in a variety of ways,” Daboll said. “I felt this was the right thing for our football team and that’s why it’s happening.”
Dart is usurping veteran Russell Wilson for the starting job after the 36-year-old veteran struggled mightily in two of his first three games as New York’s starting quarterback. Wilson will remain QB2 for the rest of the season, while fellow veteran Jameis Winston will remain No. 3 on the depth chart.
Daboll has not yet entertained the idea of Wilson asking for his release, but implored that the benched passer “was nothing but a pro, which I would expect him to be.”
Wilson, the 10-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl champion, joined the Giants on a one-year deal in free agency to serve as a bridge quarterback, ensuring that the writing was on the wall as he would be a placeholder for the next franchise quarterback, which evolved into Dart after Daboll and GM Joe Schoen moved back up into the first round to nab him at No. 25 overall.
The transition of power under center might be considered earlier than expected, but one that Dart had a hand in forcing, thanks to a brilliant showing in preseason play in which he completed 32 of 47 passes for 372 yards and four total touchdowns.
“I don’t think any rookie quarterback is ever just ready to play,” Daboll said. “You put him in there because you think that he’s done enough to show you that he can go out there and compete, and he’s done that every step of the way.”
Wilson’s Week 2 gem against the Dallas Cowboys, in which he passed for 450 yards and three touchdowns, proved to be the anomaly. He failed to throw a touchdown in Weeks 1 and 3, held to 168 yards by the Washington Commanders in his team debut and 160 yards with two interceptions on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Following a pick late in the first half, Wilson was booed off the field while Giants fans started up a “We want Dart!” chant.
Daboll is heeding to those chants, though it is more likely coming out of desperation than anything. With an 0-3 start, his and Schoen’s jobs are on the line after building a 3-14 team last season and squandering the talents of both Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones — both of whom are in the greener pastures that are Philadelphia and Indianapolis, respectively.
The success of Dart is the only thing that will likely save their jobs. Ensuring a long enough runway to present continued development and a step in the right direction is the only way it is all going to work.
“I expect him to prepare, I expect him to go out here and get better each time he plays,” Daboll said of Dart. “It’s not always going to be perfect, but I do think that he has the right makeup and athleticism. We’re going to do everything we can do to help him be the best player.”
