The New York Giants have officially turned the page. It’s Jaxson Dart time in the Meadowlands, with the upcoming Week 4 against the Chargers. The rookie quarterback, taken 25th overall in April, will get his first NFL start this Sunday. The sudden move came when head coach Brian Daboll made the switch from Russell Wilson after the Giants stumbled out to a 0-3 start.

Whether owner John Mara or GM Joe Schoen had a direct say in the timing remains unclear. For now, Daboll and Schoen are presenting a united front. Still, it wouldn’t shock anyone if the front office had hoped to wait a little longer before throwing their first-round pick into the fire. After all, the plan was supposed to be simple. Let Wilson stabilize the offense while Dart develops. But that patience lasted just three weeks.

Now the question is whether this move is bold foresight—or a hasty decision that unfairly dumps the Giants’ struggles on Wilson. Insider Patricia Traina, speaking on Locked On Giants, didn’t mince words about just how rushed this quarterback change feels. “But I go back to what was said earlier in the year and at the start of summer, how the plan was for Jackson Dart to basically redshirt this year. Let Russell Wilson do the heavy lifting, and Jameis Winston if they needed him, and let the kid learn at his own pace.” 

That plan wasn’t just lip service. The front office believed Wilson’s veteran presence could stabilize the offense and win enough games until the second half of the season. However, three straight losses flipped everything. All blame landed on the 36-year-old, who in week 3 drew heavy boos at MetLife. By the fourth quarter, the crowd had already made up its mind. “We want Dart!” chants poured down.

Traina painted out the unfair obvious: “But you’ll forgive me if I say this—I have shades of Daniel Jones memories in my head. If you go back to 2019, the Giants were in a similar situation. They got off to an 0–2 start that season with Eli Manning at quarterback. And despite everybody saying it wasn’t Eli’s fault they were 0–2, just like everybody says today it’s not Russell Wilson’s fault, they still made the change. Because the quarterback, I guess, was the easiest thing to swap out.”

“Now, Brian Daboll, in speaking to the media on Monday, said that it wasn’t all one person—that it was a combination of things. But again, you can’t swap out five offensive linemen.”

That’s the heart of the debate. Dart showed flashes in the preseason as both a passer and runner. Even former Giants executive Mike Tannenbaum said, “Jaxson Dart is a better player and a better athlete than Russell Wilson.” But those were controlled environments. He hasn’t had meaningful practice reps against full schemes. Daboll could have turned to Jameis Winston if the goal was to buy more time. Instead, he’s put his reputation for quarterback development on the line by handing the keys to Dart.

Russell Wilson is benched as the Giants crowd demands Jaxson Dart

Making Dart the starter this early comes with risks. The rookie was elevated to QB2 back in Week 1, a move that made it inevitable he’d see action if Wilson rolled an ankle. He’s played just six snaps in short-yardage and red-zone packages so far and hasn’t thrown an NFL pass. Now, he’s suddenly tasked with leading the team against an undefeated Chargers squad.

“Now, there are both pros and cons to having Jackson Dart in there. The cons, like I said, is he truly ready? Well, how do you exactly measure that? Do you give the kid a test, and if he scores 100, you know that he is truly ready? Do you base it on observations which have come in practice?

The reality is this: the Giants didn’t want Wilson as their future. They chased Matthew Stafford, flirted with Cam Ward, and were even strung along by Aaron Rodgers before settling on Wilson as a short-term bridge. That made him easier to move off of. Still, this decision has to be about the long game. The Giants haven’t been a serious contender in over a decade, reaching the playoffs just twice since their 2011 Super Bowl win. They need Dart to succeed not over weeks, but over years.

In the loss to Kansas City, New York’s offense crashed—failing to score more than 10 points for the second time in three weeks. Now, with Week 4 looming, Daboll has doubled down on the rookie.