The Giants are already treating Jaxson Dart’s injury like a problem that has to be solved now, not later.
Five days after Dart’s left knee buckled on the opening drive in Los Angeles and one day after surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, general manager Joe Schoen spent the week working the phones for another quarterback. Tom Pelissero reported on X that “The Giants spent the week making calls on QBs after Jaxson Dart’s injury, and league sources believe it’s a matter of when, not if, they acquire one - possibly as soon as Monday.”
That possibility has not turned into a deal yet. For now, the Giants are moving ahead with Jameis Winston as the starter Sunday against the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium, while Jake Haener comes up from the practice squad as the backup.
Dart’s injury looked bad the moment it happened. On the Giants’ seventh snap Monday at SoFi Stadium, he left the pocket on a third-down throw, took a hit from Rams linebacker Byron Young on his right side and was driven into Josaiah Stewart as he came down.
His left knee bent awkwardly, and Dart stayed on the turf grabbing at it before walking off under his own power. The cart never came out.
At first, the diagnosis sounded less severe. The sideline read was an MCL sprain, and head coach John Harbaugh said that was “in the neighborhood” after the 28-6 loss, adding that the team had avoided “the devastating outcome.”
But the MRI on Tuesday changed the picture. The damage extended to the meniscus, the MCL and the PCL.
The ACL remained intact, and that was the one encouraging detail that kept coming up.
By Wednesday, Harbaugh made the call: Dart would have surgery and go on injured reserve. “The season’s not over, but it is for him,” he said, according to the Giants’ official site.
He still left open a small possibility of a playoff return if New York gets that far. ESPN sources described Friday’s procedure as a meniscus and MCL repair, with the PCL addressed only if surgeons needed to.
Recovery is expected to take four to six months, which points to January at the earliest.
Dart’s brief run as the starter ended after two games. He went 23 of 29 for 230 yards and three touchdowns in the Week 1 win over Dallas, then never finished a series in Week 2. Over those two appearances, he completed 26 of 34 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
Now the offense shifts to Winston, who signed a two-year, $13 million extension just before the season. The Giants brought him in to be a steady hand, not to be pressed into the job this early. His relief outing Monday was rough: 11 completions on 27 attempts for 111 yards and one interception against a Rams defense that lived in the backfield.
The bigger adjustment may be schematic. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy spent the offseason building movement-based concepts around Dart’s legs, and those plans are out the window.
Winston is a pocket quarterback, working under center and operating more traditionally. Harbaugh said the staff will “build a game plan for Jameis to suit his skillset,” which means fewer designed runs and more straight dropback football.
Haener gives the Giants a short-term safety net. The 27-year-old, a former Saints fourth-round pick, has one NFL start.
Harbaugh sounded comfortable with him after watching him throw Friday. “He can throw it, man,” Harbaugh said, via Giants Wire.
“He fires that thing around. He knows the offense.
I have a ton of faith in him. That’s why we’re okay with it for this game.”
He added the important part: “We’re in the process.”
That process has included checking on several names that have already been floating around the league. Pelissero’s notebook listed San Francisco’s Mac Jones, Minnesota’s J.J.
McCarthy, New Orleans’ Spencer Rattler, Kansas City’s Justin Fields, Dallas practice-squad quarterback Joe Milton and free agent Jimmy Garoppolo if he wants to return. Those are possibilities, not confirmed targets, and the Giants have not announced any agreement.
The front office’s next move has to balance urgency with the bigger picture. Dart’s rookie contract runs through 2028, with a fifth-year option after that, and the Giants still see him as their long-term quarterback.
That makes the search a survival play, not a replacement hunt. A modest trade for a bridge option is one thing.
Giving up meaningful future value for a quarterback who would only be starting if Winston falters is another.
Sunday also brings an odd emotional wrinkle. Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll drafted Dart at No. 25 in 2025 and pushed the Giants to trade up for him.
Ahead of the game, Daboll spoke about the injury and his connection to Dart. “It’s always tough.
I have a very good relationship with him,” he said. “Obviously he’s devastated with what happened.
Prayers to him, his family, great people.” He added, “I know he’ll come back stronger than ever,” according to Big Blue View.
The Giants enter the week at 1-1, trying to keep the season steady while their rookie quarterback recovers. The phones have been busy, and the team is clearly preparing for more than one backup plan. The only question left is whether that work turns into a move by Monday.
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