The New York Giants may believe they’ve found their quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart, but not everyone is ready to buy into the hype. Dart recorded the second-most passing yards and third-most total touchdowns by a rookie in Giants history. And yet, legendary coach Bill Parcells is skeptical about him, calling Phil Simms the standard.

“Give me a little more time,” said Parcells on The Sal Licata Show. “[What would you be able to do with Jackson Dart?] I don’t know what I could do. I would try to give him a system that will allow him to succeed, but I got to see him on the field more. [Would you like to have a dual-threat quarterback?] I’d take Phil Simms over anytime.”

While Phil Simms and Jaxson Dart have both lined up under center for the New York Giants, their role as quarterbacks represent two entirely different eras of football. Simms was a rigid, high-velocity pocket operator, whereas Jaxson Dart is a dual-threat QB. But for Bill Parcells, Simms’ playing style will always outshine any other QB in the league.

Parcells himself trained Simms while he was the Giants’ head coach from 1983 to 1990. Parcells would purposefully put the two-time Super Bowl champion under pressure to see if he would break. Simms never did. And Parcells highly respected him for that.

During those years, their bond was pretty evident. Yet there were also instances when they would engage in a feud. Take the November 5, 1990, Monday Night Football game against the Indianapolis Colts, for example.

Simms threw an incomplete short pass to fullback Maurice Carthon on third down. As Simms walked to the sideline, Parcells barked,

“Come on, Phil. You gotta hit that!” Simms snapped back that the ball was tipped when Parcells yelled, “Don’t make excuses!”

While the heated back-and-forth between the two was evident, Simms always had high respect for his coach.

“People always talk about our relationship, but we had very few arguments,” said Simms. “But we did have one big one, and it was on TV. I never wanted to show off to coach. Never did I once look at Bill and not know who he was. I knew he was the man in charge. He had all the power and the biggest thing of all, you respected him; that’s his position, and you never cross that line.”

Meanwhile, the 85-year-old coach hasn’t seen Dart play much. Parcells’ love for the Giants runs deeper than any other team he has ever coached. He spent eight seasons with the franchise and won two Super Bowls (Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV) for them.

“I was a Giant fan then, and I’m a Giant fan now, and that’s all I can tell you,” said Parcells. “It’s hard to put the emotion into words as far as what the Giants mean to me, and that’s the truth. When they win, I’m happy, and when they lose, I’m not happy, and that’s been going on for 75 years.”

So, when it comes to the Big Blue, Parcells’ expectations for the players are high. And the same applies to the second-year quarterback. Drafted as the 25th overall in 2025, Dart led the Giants’ offense last season in 14 games. In those appearances, he recorded 2,272 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Simms, in his peak year, threw 4,044 yards and 22 TDs in 16 regular-season games.

Dart’s peak is evidently yet to come. Hence, Parcells wants to give the 23-year-old more time before he comes to any judgment. Meanwhile, the quarterback himself has not given many chances for the coach to be optimistic, as he recently found himself in some trouble.

Jaxson Dart garners attention for the wrong reasons

The 2026 NFL offseason has been quite eventful for Jaxson Dart. Just a few weeks back, the quarterback’s appearance at a political rally in New York gained significant criticism from both his teammates and fans when he made an introduction at the event. NFL analyst Mike Francesa was among the many to share his honest take on the quarterback.

“I’d like to see Dart have more success on the field before he morphs into this role of celebrity quarterback at events, walking the red carpet at the Derby,” said Francesa on his YouTube channel.

Not just that, he also took a sly dig at the Giants QB by citing one of Bill Parcells’ famous philosophies.

“He said, ‘I want a quarterback. I don’t want a celebrity quarterback. I want the quarterback to be thinking about my team and football and winning games and not thinking about all the other things,’” Francesa added.

Considering his recent actions, a lot of eyes will be on Jaxson Dart in the upcoming season. Will he surrender to the pressure or prove his worth? Only time will tell.