When the NFL schedule was released in May, it became clear that the New York Giants were handed one of the toughest opening stretches in football. Head coach Brian Daboll didn’t choose the gauntlet, but he did make a firm choice about who would lead his team through it: Russell Wilson. In July, Daboll ended any speculation with a blunt declaration, “Russell’s our starter.” 

That statement wasn’t just about confidence; it was about timing. Because the Giants’ first month throws them straight into the fire. Week one brings a Washington Commanders defense remade by Dan Quinn. A week later, it’s Dallas, always a charged divisional showdown. From there, the stage only grows brighter, with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs under the Sunday night spotlight before Jim Harbaugh’s revamped Los Angeles Chargers roll into MetLife.

That’s four heavyweights in four weeks. For Daboll, the decision was clear: Wilson had to be the starter. For Wilson, it meant walking into a fire with almost no margin for error. On The Rich Eisen Show, the longtime host explained why Wilson over rookie Jaxson Dart was a necessary call. “It makes sense to go with Russ to start the season. It just really does because if you’re going to start Jaxson Dart and he starts to struggle, then you’re going to throw Russ in there. It makes no sense.” Rich Eisen then pointed to the opening slate as proof: “You’re taking on the Washington Commanders to start before you’re at Dallas, and then you’re home for Kansas City and got the Chargers. I mean, those are four nasty a– teams and you want Russ dealing with that neck up pre-snap.”

As the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills from 2018 to 2021, Daboll helped transform Josh Allen from a raw athlete into one of the league’s premier quarterbacks in Buffalo. He values system mastery, composure, and the ability to adapt mid-play. Wilson, though experienced, is still adjusting to Daboll’s style, and if he takes longer than Week 4, Jaxson Dart, the Ole Miss standout and rookie QB, will take over his place easily.

And as the conversation went forward, they discussed the schedule for week 5, where the Giants will face the New Orleans Saints. According to Eisen, that could be the week Dart starts the show, “Problem is there’s no good time to go to Dart. There’s never any good time. You never know. I mean, obviously what week five earns. Well, look at week five at New Orleans. That’ll be easy.”

But while Wilson’s future in New York feels clouded in doubt, Jaxson Dart is carving out something very different with his own team: belief.

Does the Giants’ locker room prefer Jaxson Dart over Russell Wilson?

While Russell Wilson shoulders the burden of the present, the 22-year-old QB Jaxson Dart is steadily becoming the story of the future, and not in whispers. If you ask their locker room, the rookie has already begun to win over his teammates in ways that stretch beyond preseason box scores. “I ain’t gonna lie: He’s talented. He’s talented as (expletive),” wide receiver Zach Pascal told the New York Daily News. “I’m blessed to be able to be in camp with him, but I’m pretty sure later in his future career, he’s gonna be one of them ones. I’ve seen him make throws I haven’t even seen vets make.”

It’s not just the arm. It’s the energy surrounding Dart. Pascal described him as having the “swag you want to see in a QB that gives confidence to the whole offense.” When he makes a throw, when he scrambles and celebrates, the ripple effect is palpable. “That energy and excitement trickles throughout the whole offense to make us believe in him.” And even Dart’s Ole Miss teammate weighed in on the QB’s influence on the Giants’ locker room: “Just the way I’ve seen him grow from college ball to the NFL and the pros. His decision-making just got so much better; the way he thinks and carries himself,” wide receiver Juice Wells said. “Dart is in the locker room for hours after practice putting in work. So I’m excited to see what else he has in store.”

Long before the Giants made their move back into the first round to grab Dart at No. 25 in the 2025 draft, his name was already circulating inside the locker room. One of the early voices was right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor; a veteran who hardly ever tunes into college football. He said, “He’s a tough guy, sometimes he has to take hits when he’s running down field but he gets back up and gets all hyped up and as an offensive lineman, you build off that when you see your quarterback running down field and taking a hit and getting back up and acting like it wasn’t really anything when you know he probably felt it. He’s a really good player.” 

So now, the way it stands, Russell Wilson may be locked in as the Giants’ starter when the season kicks off, but if the offense sputters or losses begin to pile up, the drumbeat for Jaxson Dart could grow too loud to ignore. And when that moment arrives, the rookie won’t be walking in alone; he’ll already have the locker room firmly behind him.