Jaxson Dart’s season is headed for an early end, and the Giants are choosing the surgical route after the quarterback’s knee injury proved more serious than first hoped.
Dart left Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams after taking a big hit, and the initial expectation was that he would miss some time. But the next day’s reporting painted a much tougher picture, with a season-ending injury on the table and only one real path back for 2026. That path is no longer the one New York is taking.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Giants and Dart have decided on season-ending surgery. As Rapoport put it: "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 key detail here is that Dart did not tear his ACL. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the damage includes his MCL, PCL, and meniscus. That combination leaves surgery as the cleanest option for both the player and the team.
The Giants clearly weighed the alternative: trying to rehab the injury and hoping Dart could somehow return later in the year. But with his timetable pushing him deep into the season, a late-2026 comeback would have been too little, too late for any realistic playoff push.
For a young quarterback with a long runway ahead of him, the calculation is straightforward. The Giants would rather let Dart heal fully and point everything toward 2027 than force a return that comes with major risk and limited upside.
It’s a brutal turn for New York, especially with Dart, Malik Nabers, and Cam Skattebo all part of the young core the Giants were hoping to build around. Still, the decision makes sense on its own terms: protect the future, take the long view, and avoid rushing Dart back when the season would likely already be lost.
In Other News...
Jazz May Be Betting Big On A Blueprint Fans Know Well
The Jazz have made their position on Keyonte George pretty clear by locking him into a contract extension, a move that says more about the franchises long-term direction than any single game from last season. In a league where teams are constantly searching for a lead guard who can steady the offense and shape the entire identity of the roster, Utah appears to believe George can grow into that kind of centerpiece.
There is a familiar template behind that bet, one Jazz observers will recognize from around the NBA: find a guard with enough craft, control and scoring touch to organize the whole operation, then build outward from there. George is not there yet, and the comparison to Jalen Brunson reflects upside more than accomplishment, but the logic is easy to follow for Utah. If the Jazz are right, this extension could be one of the first real markers of a roster constructed around a very specific kind of engine. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Smith Just Weighed In On The Jazz Draft Debate
With the second overall pick in hand, the Jazz entered the draft with plenty of eyes on them, and the chatter around the top of the board only grew once BYU star AJ Dybantsa went first overall to Washington. Utah's choice of Darryn Peterson was always going to invite comparison, especially in a market where every draft decision gets picked over immediately.
Ryan Smith has now added his voice to the conversation, and he made clear he believes the Jazz landed on the right player. For a team hoping Peterson can become a cornerstone as his NBA regular season approaches, that kind of public backing matters almost as much as the selection itself, even if the debate over who should have gone where is unlikely to fade anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Lauri Markkanen Now Faces The Pressure Utah Can't Escape
Lauri Markkanen enters the season with the kind of spotlight Utah has been trying to avoid, because the Jazz are still looking for a cleaner path back to the playoffs and their roster has already shifted around him. The acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. changes the shape of the frontcourt, while the loss of Walker Kessler removes a familiar anchor, leaving Markkanen as the most natural player to carry the offense when the games tighten up.
Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson add more intrigue to the picture, but the Jazz still need Markkanen to be more than a steady scorer. He will have to raise his efficiency and deliver in the biggest moments if Utah is going to turn a promising-looking roster into one that actually survives the Western Conference grind. [Read more 🡒]