Tyrod Taylor’s Longevity Offers a Lesson for Jaxson Dart and the Giants
FLORHAM PARK, NJ - Tyrod Taylor knows a thing or two about getting hit. And last Sunday against the Falcons, he got hit a lot.
There were moments during the game when it looked like Taylor might not get back up. One play saw him spun around by his jersey-twice-before barely escaping and getting leveled as he released a pass. On another, he scrambled toward the Falcons' sideline, picked up a few yards, and stayed face down on the turf for a beat too long after being tackled.
Even when he connected on his signature moment of the day-a 52-yard touchdown strike to AD Mitchell-Taylor could hardly celebrate. He’d taken a shot the play before and was still feeling it. While his teammates mobbed Mitchell in the end zone, Taylor dropped to one knee at midfield, gathering himself before making his way to the sideline.
“Wasn’t too bad,” Taylor said Wednesday, downplaying the pain. “A little sore Monday waking up, but nothing too crazy.”
The hits didn’t go viral. There was no national debate sparked by Taylor’s toughness or decision-making. But across town, the story was different.
Dart’s Daring Run Sparks Debate
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, back under center Monday night in New England after missing two games with a concussion, delivered a highlight that lit up social media. Scrambling near the sideline, Dart took a hit that sent him airborne-cartoonish in its violence-before crashing to the turf and somersaulting back to his feet.
The hit was clean. Dart was fine.
But the moment reignited the conversation about risk-taking quarterbacks and how far is too far when it comes to chasing extra yards.
The hit came on a second-down play in the first quarter. It didn’t move the chains.
It didn’t change the game. But it did raise a question: Should Dart have ducked out of bounds?
To his credit, Dart didn’t shy away from the conversation. Postgame on Monday and again on Tuesday, he made it clear-this is how he plays.
He’s a quarterback who runs, who fights for yardage, who accepts that contact is part of the deal. Taking that edge away, he said, would take away what makes him effective.
He even pointed to guys like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen-quarterbacks who run hard, stay mostly healthy, and win.
And the Giants’ brass seems to be on board. Interim head coach Mike Kafka was in Kansas City when Mahomes came into the league.
GM Joe Schoen was in Buffalo during Allen’s rise. They know the blueprint.
But if the Giants want to show Dart the other side of that blueprint-the one that doesn’t end with MVP trophies and Super Bowl rings-they might want to point him toward the guy currently suiting up for the Jets.
Taylor’s Career: A Cautionary Tale in Durability
Tyrod Taylor is in his 15th NFL season. At 36, he’s still a capable, productive quarterback. But his career is filled with moments where he was right there-on the brink of breaking through-only to be set back by injury.
It happened in Cleveland in 2018. With the Chargers in 2020.
In Houston in 2021. Twice with the Giants in 2022 and 2023.
And even this year with the Jets, when a lingering knee issue prevented him from starting a game he seemed ready for.
Not all of those setbacks came from hits like the one Dart absorbed Monday night. But Taylor has lived the reality of how quickly a quarterback’s momentum can vanish when the body gives out. And he’s got wisdom to share.
“Sometimes you can’t avoid it,” Taylor said Wednesday. “The game is violent and it’s fast and sometimes we can’t always see what is coming at us in the pocket-blindside hits.
But whenever you are moving and you have a chance to extend plays, you have to be smart with doing so. You want to pick and choose.”
He called it an “art” once a quarterback is on the move-an unpredictable, instinctive part of the game. But it’s also one that demands awareness. And longevity, he emphasized, comes from learning how to survive those moments.
Taylor saw Dart’s hit. And while he respects the young quarterback’s playing style, he offered a word of caution.
“You never want to take away what makes a guy special,” he said. “My advice to him would be to be smart about those [hits].
Over the course of a season, over the course of a career, those add up. Your best ability is availability.
You want to be out there for the guys making plays and by all means do what feels natural, but understand the toll it takes when you continue to take hits.”
That’s not just theory. That’s lived experience.
Taylor said he heard the same advice early in his career-from veterans who had been through the wars. But he didn’t fully grasp it until he started feeling it in his own body.
“As a dual-threat guy I have definitely taken some hits that I shouldn’t have taken in my career,” he said. “There is a learning curve that comes with that and hopefully [Dart] learns sooner than not because he’s a special player. His team is better when he is available.”
The Bottom Line
Jaxson Dart has the tools. He’s got the arm, the legs, the swagger. But the NFL doesn’t hand out extra points for toughness-it hands out wins to the teams with their quarterback still standing in December.
Tyrod Taylor has walked that line for 15 seasons. He’s still here, still battling, still making plays. But he’s also a reminder of how quickly a promising moment can become a missed opportunity if the hits keep piling up.
If Dart wants to be the next Mahomes or Allen, great. But it wouldn’t hurt to listen to the guy across town who knows what it takes to stay in this league-and what it costs when you don’t.