The New York Giants loaded up at quarterback this past offseason, signing veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and then selecting Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Wilson was signed to bring both veteran leadership and stability to the offense, and Winston was added for depth. When the opportunity to draft Dart came along, general manager Joe Schoen took it, and suddenly, the Giants were flush with quarterbacks.
The drafting of Dart likely took Winston by surprise. He signed a two-year deal with Big Blue to back up Wilson, with the chance that he might start some games as well. That doesn’t appear to be on the table now as Dart has supplanted him as the primary backup.
“I’m grateful for my role right now. I think anybody who loves football wants to play, but that is not my case right now, so I’m going to do all I can do with where I am, with what I have,” Winston told reporters on Friday. “As a competitor, you want to be the starter. But like I said, I prepare to be the starter.
“I know I’m a starter in this league, but my role, I think you have to be able to be grateful for your role. My role right now is to assist Russ and Jaxson in being the best that they can be while preparing to be the best that I can be. So, no matter if I’m three, 33, or whatever, this is my first year being number 19, so it’s always a first for everything. I focus on what I would love, and what I would love is for this team to have success.”
That success looks like it’s going to happen with Dart under center. The fan base is itching for him to play while the organization is trying to figure out how to strategically handle it. Dart says he’ll be ready for whenever head coach Brian Daboll calls on him.
“I’m confident in myself, so whatever opportunity happens, or whatever may happen, I’m preparing for that opportunity,” Dart said on Friday. “I feel like I’m going to go out there and succeed anytime I’m on the field. So that’s just kind of the approach that I have.”
“Yeah, my job is just to be the best teammate for Russ. So just him coming off on the sideline, us just having talks, it’s a long season. I know that every one of us, obviously, we’re disappointed in the loss and kind of how things shaped out for us, week one. But we’re really confident in us being able to battle back this coming week and play at a high level. My job is just to be there for Russ and be the best teammate. So that’s my approach each and every week.”
But for now, Dart will learn at the hip of Wilson. The call will come soon enough. Until then, he’s resigned to an apprentice-like role.
“My job is just to be the best teammate for Russ,” said Dart. “So just him coming off on the sideline, us just having talks, it’s a long season. I know that every one of us, obviously, we’re disappointed in the loss and kind of how things shaped out for us, week one. But we’re really confident in us being able to battle back this coming week and play at a high level. My job is just to be there for Russ and be the best teammate. So that’s my approach each and every week.”
If the Giants’ offense continues to sputter like it did last week in Washington, when they managed just two field goals, the change could come sooner.
