After some initial reluctance to announce the news, the New York Giants finally confirmed that Jaxson Dart will miss the rest of the 2026 season.
Dart suffered damage to his MCL, PCL, and meniscus. Coach John Harbaugh has already announced that his star QB will undergo season-ending surgery.
That’s a huge loss for the Giants. Dart, the 25th overall pick in last year’s draft, was expected to have a great sophomore campaign. However, after news about the severity of his knee injury became clear, NY is now facing a ton of questions about its future.
Giants May Find Another Long-Term QB In 2027
While elite QBs have returned from devastating knee injuries before, it’s a different story for Jaxson Dart. He has not yet reached that level. Plus, Harbaugh came to the Giants to turn around the franchise. He wants results now.
According to former Giants star Tiki Barber, Dart’s unfortunate injury may result in a pivot from the team starting from 2027.
“It sucks for Jaxson Dart because he’s going to be in a massive bubble when he finally comes back. If we don’t see him and he’s had these questions before this season, now we’re going to ask these questions after his injury,” Barber said on WFAN.
“John Harbaugh didn’t draft him. I know that’s not what we want to think about, but it’s the reality of being an NFL player. It’s a what have you done for me lately business,” he added.
There’s some truth to what Barber stated. Every team needs a steady and healthy signal-caller to guide them year after year. But if Dart cannot recover as fast as hoped, then the Giants may look elsewhere for a solution.
Steelers QB Could Be An Appealing Short-Term Replacement For Jaxson Dart
Dart may be out, but the New York Giants can still try to have a decent 2026 campaign. Currently, they are 1-1. The team will lean heavily on Jameis Winston as their QB1 for the rest of the season.
But their depth after Winston is a bit questionable. At this stage of the season, it’s hard to find an elite QB in the league to replace Jaxson Dart.
It’s not all lost for the Giants, though. One team they could potentially trade with is the Steelers, who, coincidentally, have four QBs on their active roster. Furthermore, they could potentially target veteran Mason Rudolph to bolster their QB depth.
