The NFL schedule-makers did the New York Giants few favors by giving Big Blue matchups at the Washington Commanders, at the Dallas Cowboys, versus the Kansas City Chiefs and versus the Los Angeles Chargers to open the 2025 season.
Shortly after the league’s full schedule was released on Wednesday night, ESPN’s Dan Graziano explained why he thinks it’s not an “overreaction” to believe that rookie first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart will be the Giants’ starting quarterback over Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston by November.
All of the history around these situations tells us Dart will play at some point this season,” Graziano noted. “Wilson hasn’t been a very good starting quarterback for the past four years. Winston is a stopgap guy at this point in his career. Dart is the Giants’ future, and unless their present is going to be a very pleasant surprise to a lot of people, they’re going to want to get that future going as soon as possible.”
Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have indicated they’d prefer to give Dart a redshirt rookie season. That said, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News and Connor Hughes of SNY both think the Giants could end Nov. 2 at 1-8 if either Wilson or Winston is the club’s QB1 at that time.
Thus, Graziano indicated New York could turn to Dart as soon as for the club’s Week 5 game at the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 5. The Giants host the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 9, and Daboll theoretically could use the extra time to get Dart ready to play at the Denver Broncos on Oct. 19.
If the Giants stay respectable but are realistically more pretenders than contenders in early December, they could spend their Week 14 bye preparing for Dart to make his first career start at home against the Commanders on Dec. 14.
Many, if not most, Giants reporters believe team co-owner John Mara will show Schoen and Daboll the door in January if the club endures another woeful season unless Dart looks like a potential franchise quarterback by the end of Week 18. What happens over New York’s first four games could determine if Dart is atop the depth chart for the October matchup at a New Orleans side that seemingly is on track to name fellow rookie Tyler Shough its Week 1 starter.
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