2026 has been rough for Jaxson Dart. A crucial Year 2 campaign has been cut short because of a knee injury, and the offseason wasn’t without some drama either. Remember the controversy he sparked after attending a rally hosting Donald Trump?
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Now that Dart’s season has unfortunately ended, the President offered him some support.
“He’s a little hurt right now,” Trump said via CBS News, while speaking at a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration on Wednesday. “Good quarterback, but he endorsed Trump so heavily, and he took a little heat from a rather liberal group of people in the NFL.”
Trump talked about the moment Dart introduced Trump at a rally for Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in May in New York City. Dart said it was an “honor” and a “privilege” to introduce Trump on stage. This happened in May, months before the kickoff to the 2026 campaign. But it was enough to threaten the Giants’ season entirely.
Safety Abdul Carter had called Dart out for the act online, joining many who thought Dart should not have engaged himself with a political rally being an active NFL player. The team had to call an emergency meeting to address the situation, in which veterans like Jameis Winston also added some advice. Things had turned that testy for the young quarterback.
However, Carter and Dart assured at a press conference that things were okay. It took some time for the issue to calm down, and for fans to talk about the team without bringing up the controversy now and then.
Things had gotten off to a great start for Dart, who threw for 230 yards with an impressive 79.3% accuracy for three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. However, Dart took a bad hit to the knee in the Los Angeles Rams game in Week 2. He will need surgery for it and has been placed on injured reserve.
“I just want him to get better because we love him,” Trump continued, showing support to Dart amid his injury. “He got hurt. It’s a dangerous game.”
“I think he’s determined,” head coach John Harbaugh said of Dart after his injury. “He’s bummed. It’s hard. The season’s not over, but it is for him. And we kind of talked about that too. That was part of it. That was part of the deal. With injuries, there’s a certain mourning that takes place.”
Winston has been named the starter in Dart’s absence. Things can go anywhere with him in the lead, as he has proven in his long career. To avoid getting backed up against the wall in the future, the Giants pulled a shocker and traded for J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings.
The new QB could hope for a chance at redemption in New York. However, Jaxson Dart should be wary of it, too.
What happens to Jaxson Dart with J.J. McCarthy’s arrival?
McCarthy missed out on his rookie season after suffering an injury, and started only 10 games for the Vikings last season. This year, he was relegated to backup duties once again, with Minnesota naming Kyler Murray QB1. It had become evident that McCarthy would perhaps be warming the bench for a long time this year.
However, John Harbaugh spoke with Los Angeles Chargers head coach and his brother, Jim Harbaugh, who coached McCarthy when they were at Michigan. Weighing out all his options, the Giants head coach eventually moved for the trade, giving McCarthy a shot to get some playing time.
McCarthy’s road to becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL is difficult. He would probably have to wait for both Dart and Winston to be down to get the QB1 job. But this season, Dart is already out. And if Jameis Winston doesn’t live up to the expectations, Harbaugh will turn to McCarthy.
What happens then might define Jaxson Dart’s future, too.
“Look, the Harbaughs, they’re brothers,” former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman said on his podcast with Rob Gronkowski. “Maybe he’s got a little intel from Jim. John called Jim, ‘How was he at Michigan?’ I don’t know how I would feel if I was Jaxson Dart, you know what I mean?”
If McCarthy balls out, Dart might have to fight for the QB1 job next year.
Chances of this happening are low, as McCarthy has played only 10 games, and he won six of them. He passed for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and posted 12 interceptions last year. But in time, if McCarthy can chip away at his problem areas, he can hope for some playing time.
For now, however, the Giants will go ahead with Jameis Winston as QB1 vs. the Arizona Cardinals.