Jaxson Dart\u2019s time has arrived.<\/p>\n
New York Giants coach Brian Daboll made the rookie quarterback\u2019s promotion official on Wednesday, saying the No. 25 pick from April\u2019s NFL Draft will serve as the team\u2019s starter this week and beyond.<\/p>\n
Daboll repeatedly stressed during his news conference that it was his call to promote Dart and bench veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. The coach said he talked over the switch with New York\u2019s front office and ownership, but ultimately, it was \u201cmy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did it,\u201d he said. \u201cNot going to get into the specifics. I think it\u2019s the right thing for our football team, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daboll added that he believes Dart gives the Giants the best chance to win, both against the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend and moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think any rookie QB is ever just ready to play,\u201d Daboll said. \u201cYou put him in there because you think that he\u2019s done enough to show you that he can go out there and compete, and he\u2019s done that every step of the way. That\u2019s why I made the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dart believes he\u2019s ready for the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always try to say each week, \u2018I\u2019m going to prepare each week the same,\u2019 but in all reality, you have different responsibilities as the starter, so I\u2019m locked in,\u201d Dart said Wednesday. \u201cI\u2019m ready. \u2026 I want to do my best to be a spark. I want to create excitement on the field, be explosive when the opportunities are there and just try and bring a little bit of swagger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson, Daboll said, will serve as the team\u2019s backup moving forward, while Jameis Winston will remain the team\u2019s QB3. Backup quarterback will be a relatively unfamiliar role for Wilson, who has 202 career starts, and has only once been a backup once before during his 14 years in the NFL. That came after the Denver Broncos benched him late in the 2023 season, letting Jarrett Stidham start the final two games before they released Wilson in the offseason.<\/p>\n
Wilson was benched much earlier in the season this time, after going 0-3 as the Giants\u2019 starter. His short tenure as the starter included one excellent Week 2 performance<\/a> sandwiched between two lackluster games in Weeks 1 and 3. The most recent poor outing came Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, when Wilson completed just 18 of 32 passes for 160 yards and two interceptions. While the INTs were bad, they weren\u2019t the low point for Wilson. That came during an abysmal red-zone sequence<\/a> in the fourth quarter in which Wilson threw three noncompetitive incompletions, including a fourth-down pass that sailed out of the back of the end zone.<\/p>\n In Wilson\u2019s three starts, he went 4 of 18 for 16 yards and no touchdowns in the red zone. The Giants rank 31st in red zone offense heading into Week 4.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not done,\u201d Wilson said Wednesday when asked about being benched. \u201cI have so much believe in myself. I know what I am capable of. \u2026 (But) right now, it\u2019s really about the team. It\u2019s about helping Jaxson the best I possibly can.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember when I was a rookie \u2026 looking for help and looking for answers, and I just told (Dart), \u2018I got your back.\u2019 Whatever I can help you with.\u2019 I can help him be prepared as best as he can possibly be prepared, because I know that matters. I\u2019ve lived it. I\u2019ve experienced it.\u201d<\/p>\n QB Russell Wilson on being benched by #giants<\/a> and if he\u2019s going to ask for a release\/trade: <\/p>\n \u201cI’m focused on helping this team win. I’m focused on helping Jaxson. \u2026 I want to be here. I love this organization.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/sbXmSFZl97<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) September 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The pressure to succeed immediately will be immense for Dart, who is not only being charged with helping lead the Giants out of their 0-3 hole but also, in all likelihood, helping to save Daboll\u2019s job<\/a>. The Giants coach entered the season on the hot seat and a winless start certainly hasn\u2019t cooled things off.<\/p>\n Daboll\u2019s Giants are a miserable 3-17 since the start of last season. If Dart can\u2019t help turn things around, it\u2019s likely the Giants will be looking for a new coach next season \u2014 and maybe a new general manager, as Joe Schoen is just as culpable for the Giants\u2019 struggles the past couple of years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long season,\u201d Daboll said when asked if the move to Dart was about saving his job. \u201cWe\u2019ve had three games, haven\u2019t put it together all collectively, and I made the decision to play Jaxson.\u201d<\/p>\n Dart certainly appears to have the support of the Giants locker room. Team captain and All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said Dart was one of his favorite players coming out of the draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lawrence highlighted Dart\u2019s confidence as one of the biggest reasons he liked the QB during the pre-draft process.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got a little something to him,\u201d Lawrence said with a smile. \u201cHe\u2019s not just an average guy. \u2026 I don\u2019t think nobody can take his swagger.\u201d<\/p>\n (Photo by Sarah Stier \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n