The New York Giants took a swing at their quarterback of the future Thursday night by trading up to select Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart in the first round.
But he won’t be their starter next season. Not from Day 1 at least. Shortly after selecting Dart, Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll sat down for a news conference. Daboll declared that Russell Wilson will be New York’s starting quarterback.
“Russ’ll be our starter,” Daboll said when asked about the team’s plans to develop Dart. “That’s how it’ll be once we get started here in the spring.
“The process of developing a quarterback is just that. So we’re gonna do everything we can to develop him and bring him along.”
Advertisement
Without a long-term plan at quarterback, the Giants signed 36-year-old Russell Wilson and former No. 1 pick-turned-journeyman Jameis Winston this offseason. Neither project as the long-term answer.
The Giants rolled the dice on Thursday that Dart will be. New York reportedly coveted Cam Ward, but had no shot of prying the No. 1 pick from the Tennessee Titans that was needed to select him. Without another top quarterback prospect on the board, New York selected edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3.
Dart, of course, was on the board at that point. But Carter was a consensus top-two prospect in the draft and a potential anchor for New York’s defense for years to come.
But as the first round waned, the value proposition changed, and the Giants decided to move back into the first round to select Dart. They traded their second-round pick (No. 34 overall), their third-round pick (No. 99 overall) and a third-round pick in 2026 to the Houston Texans to secure the No. 25 pick that they used to select Dart.
Advertisement
Dart is far from a sure thing. That’s why the Giants, Browns and Saints passed on him in the top 10 despite each team’s significant need of quarterback help.
The Giants are hoping he can become their quarterback of the future. Wilson remains New York’s quarterback for now.
