Justin Fields had been chomping at the bit to get first-team snaps for the Jets’ preseason opener. To his delight, defensive guru and HC Aaron Glenn rolled out the red carpet and handed Fields the reins right from the first whistle. Rookie celebrations and locker-room high-fives followed, setting the tone for a camp brimming with confidence. Now, over in East Rutherford, another young quarterback, Jaxson Dart, is itching for that moment under the bright lights.

All eyes on the field have now shifted to Jaxson Dart. Since the late-April draft-day shakeup in Green Bay, he’s rocking that fresh-first-round luster, running routes with swagger, and quietly hoping Brian Daboll hands him the rock when the Giants and Jets kick off their “Snoopy Bowl” preseason clash at 7 PM ET on Saturday. The buzz in the locker room has been palpable. Darts’ throwing zip farther, his pocket presence sharper as teammates can’t stop talking about his poise.

So, when former Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh weighed in on chatter about rookie Jaxson Dart stealing the first-team snaps, he kept it simple: “No. I don’t think so, and this is no pun intended, it’s all about darts on the dartboard,” in an interview on Good Morning Football. Pugh emphasized that “as many quarterbacks in that room competing at a high level” only strengthens the team.

HC Brian Daboll has gone out of his way to make it clear that developing Jaxson Dart is important, as he added, “these guys will be out here competing” when practice started. Even Jameis Winston, another veteran QB, was inserted before Dart for this period so that the rookie wouldn’t be thrown into the fire.

It’s not just tradition. The Packers did it with Jordan Love to Aaron Rodgers and the Bills with Tyrod Taylor to Josh Allen. Both are templates for adding experience to natural ability. Jaxson Dart’s career tracks the templates: sit, learn, then strike when the time is right. In the high-pressure New York market, that runway is more important than any other.

Adding to that philosophy is having Russell Wilson, who’s already been on a Super Bowl run and has a lifetime of high-pressure moments, as your day one starter and your first voice in the huddle. That’s stability. It also gives Jaxson Dart the best seat in the house to watch pro reads, cadence shifts, and that intangible “it” factor in a pro that separates the great pros from the good ones.

Will Russell Wilson be the opener for the Giants’ 2025 preseason game?

So what does that mean for Saturday night’s preseason opener? Justin Pugh set the record straight towards the end of the interview, “Russ is your day one starter.” Back in July, when the team began their training camp, the HC had said the same, “these guys will be out here competing, but Russ is our starter.” So, both Daboll and Pugh have made it clear: Wilson’s the man, not Jaxson Dart. Period. Russell Wilson’s job goes beyond just handing out Week 1 passes. He’s the on-field leader, the veteran voice in the meeting room, and the safety net for any rookie butterflies.

Wilson is a 10-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl XLVIII winner with the Seattle Seahawks, and is one of the only five QBs (as of now) with the most wins (75 or more) by a QB in his first seven seasons in NFL history. Anyone can see why Brian Daboll is banking on his talents for the preseason opener. The New York Giants want the record set straight with the 2025 season. They are here to win, and they will do it by utilizing every possible asset on the team. And Russell Wilson? Well, the stats prove how valuable an asset he is to the HC and the locker room ahead of the season.

And what of Jaxson Dart? Well, he is going to sit back and learn from the “experienced” ones. As the Giants’ GM Joe Schoen was quoted as saying, “I think there’s some real benefits from sitting and learning specifically from some of the guys in the room that have the experience that they have…But if the coaching staff at some point feels it’s right and he’s ready, then I’ll leave that up to them.”

After Saturday’s game (August 16), we will see how the Giants use Dart at the end of the 2nd half. Look for low-risk, high learning reps instead of “let’s see what you’ve got” fireworks. That’s what the team is all about: winning today and getting ready for tomorrow. Will Russ start as the QB indefinitely, or will Jaxson Dart surprise us? That’s something worth looking forward to with the season coming around.