Well, this year is all about surprises. Like, who would have thought in their wildest dreams that the New York Giants would pass on Shedeur Sanders and go for Jaxson Dart instead? Just imagine a guy pegged to go out as a third or fourth-round pick went straight 25th overall in the first-round pick. Not only did the Giants take Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall, but they also jumped back on No. 25, trading up with the Houston Texans just to bring Dart into the team. Now, they did all this for someone who’s not even going to start with them. Wild, right? But hey, that’s the word for now.

Look, there’s no question that Jaxson Dart isn’t a viable starting option for the Giants. This three-year starter at Ole Miss after transferring from USC saw his game improve dramatically, like setting the Rebels’ record for passing yards in a career with 10,617 yards, surpassing former Giants two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning’s mark of 10,119 yards. Even last season he recorded 4,279 passing yards with a career-high completion rate of 69.3%, tossing 29 TDs with just six interceptions. So, why can’t he be the starter for the Giants?

So, if you are a Giants fan, we know last season they didn’t have a stable QB room, but now they are loaded with key players, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart. But starting straight away with a rookie isn’t a viable option for them as of now. And that’s exactly what Rich Eisen said in his show, “We already mentioned about Dart. I don’t think he’s starting; I just don’t think he’s going to start this year. And if the Giants had their druthers, they’d have a successful season with one of the two backups, and Dart would watch or look and maybe wet his beak a little bit, like Patrick Mahomes did at the end of his first year.” Now, it’s not like Jaxson won’t see the field at all, but might stay most of the season out of it, observing and learning.

Even ESPN’s analyst Dan Orlovsky minced the same words, highlighting an incident that shows there’s still a lot left for Jaxson Dart to learn. “I agree—Jaxson Dart shouldn’t start. I mean, he’s—you know, I don’t know if you saw the Gruden clip. He doesn’t even know how to use a cadence. You know, they did the clap cadence. It was great with Coach Gruden when he was like, “Give me your cadence,” and he clapped. He’s like, “Seriously? This is all we do?” So, you know, while super talented, there’s a lot of stuff he’s going to have to learn,” Dan said.

Now look, it’s not like if you don’t know something you can’t learn it, and Eisen and Orlovsky are emphasizing the same. That it’s going to be a learning and transitioning period for him. However, coach Brian Daboll has confidence in him. “I like the way he plays,” Daboll told reporters after the pick. “I like his competitive fire. I like his accuracy. I like his ability to push the ball down the field and his athletic ability to run with the football. … I think this guy’s gotten better every year he’s played. He’s a leader. He was smart.”

And even Daboll said the same thing after drafting Jaxson Dart. “He has the attributes that we were looking for. Excited to have him. Look forward to getting him in the room. He’s got a lot to learn. It’ll be a process here with him, but he’s a guy we look forward to working with.” Now, it’s not like they are making vague promises; they actually have a full-blown master plan for Dart’s future with the team.

Jaxson Dart and Giants’ fate gets a push

The Giants didn’t just take a swing — they bet big on Jaxson Dart. Questions naturally followed the bold move. Can Dart become the guy to lead Big Blue out of the woods? Lane Kiffin, his head coach at Ole Miss, doesn’t flinch when asked. “He’s a winner — he’s gonna always rise to the top,” Kiffin told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “He’s got a drive to be great, to outwork people, to be better than people and to just beat people in whatever it is.”

And Lane Kiffin didn’t just stop there, he also talked about how Jaxson Dart leveled up in the one area scouts questioned him the most. “He’s taken numerous strides forward… particularly with his deep-ball, an area where he feels he’s turned himself into ‘one of, if not the best in the country.’”

On top of that Giants’ quarterback room, featuring Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson and experienced Jameis Winston, helps refine his big-play potential. That’s what makes Kiffin more excited. “That’s awesome for him,” he said. “It’s great to have Russell in the room for him to learn from. He’s someone who has done it for a long time, and from what I understand, he does a phenomenal job preparing for games.”

Now, out of all, Lane Kiffin made an interesting admission that Jaxson Dart might take up reins with ex-LSU star Malik Nabers, and believes they might click up fast, “I think he’ll work from Day 1 with him,” Kiffin said. “He’ll fly to wherever he is in the offseason to work with him and get down their throws and timing and everything — they’ll be an amazing pair for a long time.” On the other side, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll are well-versed in developing rookie quarterbacks with star potential who need time to hone their skills.

Back in 2018, while in Buffalo, they had a first-hand experience with Josh Allen. “We’ve been through this, we went through it with Josh Allen,” Schoen reflected. Like with other rookies, the Giants will have their first-round pick, Jaxson Dart, learn behind veteran quarterbacks. Schoen recounts how Buffalo’s plans for Allen didn’t quite go as expected. “We had a little bit different quarterback room at the time, but he was going to sit his rookie year and then halftime of the opening game we’re getting smoked by Baltimore, so we put him in and the rest was history.” This unexpected change is a testament to how quickly things can change in the NFL, even for those with meticulous planning.

Schoen is well aware of how different Allen’s rookie year was from Jaxson Dart’s situation now. “So again, Jaxson’s going to come in, he’s got to learn the offense, there’s a lot to learn, these NFL offenses are hard to grasp and pick up and then be able to go out and execute, so the ability for him to learn and sit behind two consummate pros already will be beneficial for him.” But Dart’s situation is different; he’ll learn from two veteran quarterbacks, making his transition easier.

Because the league is so unpredictable, Schoen stressed that Dart needs to be ready for anything. “And again, still, injuries occur, you know we’ve played seven quarterbacks over the last two years, so he’s going to have to prepare like he’s going to have to play.” With the Giants entering the summer, everyone’s watching to see how much of the offense rookie Dart can manage.