New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart’s breakthrough season has come to a painful halt after a serious knee injury ended his second NFL season. The team confirmed the news directly on Instagram.
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Among the thousands of comments left on the post was one from Dart’s girlfriend, model and influencer Marissa Ayers, who responded simply with “🙏🏼💔” – a quiet reaction to the devastating news about her boyfriend’s second NFL season.
The injury happened on the opening drive of New York’s Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, a game the Giants lost 28-6. Dart was hit by multiple defenders while in the air and his knee bent awkwardly on the way down. He left the game immediately and did not return. Initial reports Monday night suggested the damage might be limited to a sprained MCL, a relatively manageable injury, but an MRI performed Tuesday revealed the situation was far more serious, showing additional damage to his PCL and meniscus. His ACL, notably, remained intact.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh, in his first season leading the franchise, addressed the uncertainty carefully with reporters as the medical picture came into focus.
“Right now evaluations are ongoing. We haven’t gotten any final decisions yet,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve learned a lot more. I wouldn’t really want to share too much until decisions get made, and that takes more than one person. It takes everybody involved. When we know what direction we’re going to have to go, we’ll announce that, but we don’t have that yet.”
By Wednesday, the Giants had confirmed Dart would need surgery, bringing his regular season to an end. Speaking to reporters, Harbaugh didn’t hide how the quarterback was taking it.
“He’s determined, he’s bummed,” Harbaugh said. “The season’s not over, but it is for him. We need to be the best Giants we can be.”
That distinction is important. Harbaugh has since made clear that Dart’s season is over, but that does not necessarily mean his entire year is. Harbaugh did not rule out a postseason return if the Giants qualify for the playoffs, but the team has not provided a timetable for Dart’s recovery.
Dart had entered the season with plenty of momentum. The Giants selected him 25th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He finished this season’s Week 1 game with a 28-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, recording 23-of-29 for 230 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, plus 54 rushing yards on 11 carries.
In the meantime, veteran Jameis Winston, who replaced Dart on Monday night and finished with a rough outing of his own, is set to take over as the Giants’ starter. During the matchup, he threw for only 111 passing yards on a 40.7% completion percentage.
New York is also expected to promote quarterback Jake Haener from the practice squad to serve as Winston’s primary backup, giving the team some added depth behind an offense now built around a very different quarterback than the one it started the season with.
For Ayers, the news came after a year in which her profile had grown alongside Dart’s. The two met in October 2025 during Dart’s rookie season and made their relationship Instagram official in January. Since then, Ayers has been a familiar face at Giants games, training camp, and family events around the team in 2026.
Just last week, she shared a TikTok recap of the Giants’ Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, writing that it was “only the beginning.” The excitement around the season was still fresh when Dart went down Monday. Her response to the Giants’ injury announcement was much shorter this time.