New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll asserted his desire to keep everything private from how he delivered the news that Jaxson Dart would replace Russell Wilson as starting quarterback to his reasons for doing so now.
But in conversations with reporters on Wednesday, Dart, Wilson and even Daboll himself made it clear why the Giants are pulling the cord now, using the biggest in-house change the team can make following an 0-3 start.
“I expect him to prepare, I expect him to go out here and get better each time he plays,” Daboll told reporters. “It’s not always going to be perfect, but I do think that he has the right makeup and athleticism. Look, we’re going to do everything we can do to help him be the best player. I know he is as well. It’s not just on one person, it’s on the entire team and that’s what we’re going to do.”
For the Giants, the Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs itself was less of an issue than the ways in which Wilson’s performance failed to maximize the opportunities the team had. A fourth quarter that offered numerous non-competitive passes, with the game still within reach, cannot have helped Wilson’s case to remain the starter. Now, when quarterback mistakes happen, they are in the service of a young quarterback growing, not simply aggravating a fan base that needs to exercise patience no less than team ownership, given where the Giants are in the success cycle.
This decision, while Daboll took sole credit for it, reflects an organization that knows where it is now. Bringing Wilson to New York was never about contending for a Super Bowl in 2025. The best-case scenario offered a chance at improving the team immediately, but Wilson’s ability to help Dart acclimate to the NFL was always the biggest reason to sign him. Now, it will be his primary role, and one he sounded eager to embrace despite the demotion.
“I think at the end of the day, for me right now, I think it’s really about the team, really about helping Jaxson the best I can possibly can,” Wilson told reporters Wednesday. “I remember when I was a rookie. I remember coming in as a young rookie and looking for help and looking for answers and stuff like that. I just told him, I’ve got your back, and whatever I can help you with and help him get prepared the best he can possibly get prepared. I know that matters because I’ve lived it and I’ve experienced it.”
That experience in the quarterback room sounds like it will be a fixture for the rest of the year, with Wilson saying that he doesn’t plan to ask for his release the way Daniel Jones did after the Giants benched him in 2024.
Those situations are very different, of course. Jones needed to build up his value around the league and show he could still play at a high level. Wilson’s resume is already written, and the Giants did not shy away from telling him that Dart was the future during their free agency conversations.
As for Dart, while the exact timing of this moment was not preordained, he has been preparing for it, knowing the day would arrive.
“I don’t really feel pressure,” Dart said of his new role. “I feel like pressure is given to those who play at a high level, and the best players in the world are the ones that are kind of involved with that word, pressure. I don’t feel it in that standpoint. My focus is just trying to win one game at a time. We’ve been so close each week, and it’s been tough to watch. It’s been tough as a team to come back in the locker room. Like I said, when you’re just that close to winning. So, our focus just has to be on each day, each rep, individually how can we be better? How can we hold each other accountable as players, as leaders of the team, and just find a way to just finish games when we need to.”
Many observers thought Dart might not get the call until at least Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints, providing a chance for the rookie to start out against a lesser defense. Instead he’ll face the 3-0 Los Angeles Chargers, who are middle of the pack in terms of most quarterback pressure stats, but top five in overall limiting of the passing game on everything from yards-per-pass-attempt to passing touchdowns.
Perhaps more concerning: Malik Nabers, who is New York’s primary receiving weapon, did not practice Wednesday with a shoulder injury. He told reporters Wednesday that “decisions will be made closer to the game” about whether he’ll be able to play. But when he does return, Nabers understands the challenge ahead.
“I’m sure everyone’s seen last year,” Nabers told reporters Wednesday. “I had three, four different quarterbacks. It was the same thing. I mean, it’s hard, but we’re going to support him. We’re going to do our best to help make sure he’s prepared, help show he’s ready and we’re going to help him lead. We’re going to do what everybody else was doing when I was a rookie, the same way helping me. So, we’re going to uplift his spirits and help him also during the game. If something goes bad, we’ll just uplift him and continue to roll.”