The Giants are choosing the long view with Jaxson Dart.
After Dart left Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams following a heavy hit, the expectation was that he’d miss time. By the next day, the news had gotten worse: there was a real possibility the knee injury could end his season.
Now, that’s the direction the team is taking. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Giants and Dart have decided on season-ending surgery because a possible return in 2026 would have come too late to matter for a playoff push.
“Giants QB Jaxson Dart is expected to have knee surgery that will lead to a full recovery but end his 2026 season, sources told me and @MikeGarafolo,” Rapoport reports. “Dart has been soliciting opinions on the injury.
And the ACL is intact. But surgery is coming.”
The injury is still significant even without an ACL tear. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Dart’s MCL, PCL, and meniscus are damaged, which is why surgery has emerged as the best path for both the quarterback and the team.
It’s a tough call, but not a complicated one. Dart is young, and the Giants know a late-season comeback would come with a lot of risk for very little reward. Even if rehab went perfectly, the window for a meaningful return would have been narrow.
Instead, the plan is to get Dart fully healthy and set him up for 2027. That approach also keeps alive the bigger picture for a Giants offense that could feature Dart, Malik Nabers, and Cam Skattebo next year.
For the Giants, this is a painful setback. But with a young quarterback and a roster still growing together, the logic is clear: there’s no point in forcing a rushed return when the season would likely already be out of reach.
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The most interesting edge may be in goal, where the backup role remains unsettled behind Igor Shesterkin. Joonas Korpisalo, acquired from the Bruins this summer, is making his preseason debut and is in the mix with Dylan Garand for the No. 2 job, one of the few spots still carrying real suspense. The Rangers are set to lean into that process again in Fridays preseason finale against the Islanders, when they plan to use what should be their opening-night lineup. [Read more 🡒]