Jaxson Dart’s Reckless Style Is Earning Respect - and Raising Red Flags for the Giants
There’s a fine line between fearless and reckless in the NFL, and right now, Jaxson Dart is walking it like a tightrope artist with no net. The Giants’ rookie quarterback has shown flashes of franchise-caliber talent this season - no question.
But with each extra yard he fights for, each hit he absorbs, the long-term outlook gets murkier. The talent is real.
The toughness is undeniable. The concern?
It’s growing.
We’ve seen this movie before. Last year, C.J.
Stroud tried to give Caleb Williams a heads-up - literally - about protecting himself. The moment turned into a bit of a viral debate, mostly because it came right after Stroud’s Texans had handed Williams’ Bears a loss.
Williams didn’t seem too interested in the advice at the time, but Stroud wasn’t trying to flex. He was speaking from experience.
Stroud knows what it’s like to carry a franchise’s hopes on his shoulders, and more importantly, he knows how quickly those shoulders can give out if you take too many hits. That kind of advice doesn’t always land in the heat of the season. But when the pads come off and the bruises linger, it starts to make more sense.
Fast forward to this season, and it’s Dart who’s now in the crosshairs - both figuratively and literally. The Bears beat the Giants last month, and some wondered if Williams might’ve returned the favor and offered Dart a few words of wisdom.
That conversation never happened, though. Dart was in the locker room being evaluated for a concussion, an injury that ended up sidelining him for two games.
It’s not like people haven’t tried to get through to him. According to ESPN’s Troy Aikman, Dart didn’t exactly light up when the topic of self-preservation came up in pregame meetings ahead of the Giants’ Monday night game against the Patriots. And then, in the 33-15 loss to New England, Dart went right back to taking punishment like it was part of the job description.
To be fair, the kid’s earned respect across the locker room and around the league for his toughness. He’s not afraid to extend plays, take hits, and get dirty.
That kind of grit has helped him make an immediate impact - from his debut win over the Chargers to a big-time performance against the Eagles. But it’s also part of what cost Brian Daboll his job.
Yes, the losing over the past three and a half seasons played a role in Daboll’s midseason firing. But what really sealed it?
The inability - or maybe the unwillingness - to rein in Dart’s aggressive tendencies and protect the team’s most valuable asset. The irony is thick here.
Daboll was instrumental in getting Dart ready to go from the jump. But when the hits kept coming, and the trips to the blue medical tent started piling up, team owner John Mara had seen enough.
Interim coach Mike Kafka got a taste of the challenge Monday night. In the first quarter, Dart broke the pocket and tried to squeeze out a few more yards.
Instead, he got launched into the sideline by linebacker Christian Elliss. It was the kind of hit that makes defensive players smile and coaches wince.
A scuffle broke out, with tight end Theo Johnson stepping in to defend his quarterback - but it was another reminder that Dart’s playing style is putting a target on his back.
And it didn’t stop there. Dart took another big shot after refusing to throw the ball away when the pocket collapsed early in the game.
That’s the kind of decision that gets quarterbacks hurt - or worse, shelved. Sliding, stepping out, tossing it to the sideline - none of it seems to be in Dart’s DNA right now.
Of course, it’s tough to blame a rookie for going all out. When you’re a first-round pick, the pressure to perform is immediate.
There’s no grace period. No time to ease in.
That’s part of the reason we’re seeing more quarterbacks stay in college longer - because if there’s even a sliver of doubt about your ability to start right away, it could be the difference between a long career and a short-lived experiment.
Just ask J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. Or Anthony Richardson, who lost his starting job to Daniel Jones in Indianapolis - yes, the same Daniel Jones the Giants never quite figured out how to build around.
The bottom line is this: there’s no development plan for a quarterback who can’t stay on the field. And if Dart keeps playing with this kind of abandon, the Giants may have to make a tough call.
Benching a rookie quarterback with his talent is a drastic move, no doubt. But if it’s the only way to get him to protect himself, it might be the move they have to make.
Because as much as Dart’s toughness has endeared him to fans and teammates, it won’t mean much if he’s watching from the sideline in street clothes. The Giants need him healthy. And Dart needs to realize that sliding isn’t weakness - it’s wisdom.