5 teams kicking themselves for passing on Rookie of the Month Jaxson Dart

Extra, extra! Read all about it. New York Giants rookie quarterback sensation Jaxson Dart has officially been named the NFL’s Rookie of the Month for October. Is it a coincidence that in his first month starting, he wins ROTM? I think not.

The buzz around Dart is immeasurable. The excitement he’s brought to a fan‑base that needed it more than anything is truly special, and he deserves every bit of the acknowledgement for doing exactly that. There’s no downplaying what this award means for the franchise. Newsday’s Tom Rock summed it up perfectly:

Related:It only took Jaxson Dart five games for the NFL to start turning against him

Safe to say that's pretty impressive. However, one man's gain is another's pain. And that rings especially true for those organizations that passed on the former Ole Miss standout on draft night, missing out on what could have been an electric time. You hate to see it, but here are five teams that are regretting not drafting Jaxson Dart.

5 teams regretting their draft-day decision to pass on Jaxson Dart

Tennessee Titans (No. 1 pick: QB Cam Ward)

There's a reason why the Titans selected Cam Ward No. 1 overall. He's an uber-talented thrower of the football, and he can make almost every throw. But it hasn't resulted in much winning. In his defense, Tennessee is a complete dumpster fire — even still, it's hard to think they don't have some regrets.

It might be too early to declare Dart as the better signal-caller, but look at last year's class. Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are better than Caleb Williams, who went No. 1 overall. Things happen. Dart's arm talent, poise in the pocket, and confidence have to have the Titans second-guessing their choice at least a little bit.

Cleveland Browns (No. 5 pick: DL Mason Graham)

The list of quarterbacks who have started for the Browns since 2000 reads like an extension of The Lord of the Rings book series. Their quarterback search has been hilarious. They selected two QBs in the 2025 draft, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, signaling they have no idea what they're doing under center.

Enter Jaxson Dart. Cleveland is the city where quarterbacks go to die, but Dart's rapid ascension in East Rutherford should have the Browns confident enough to grab him fifth, finally solidifying stability in a carousel of endless what-ifs.

Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6 pick: RB Ashton Jeanty)

After lighting up the college football world at Boise State, Jeanty felt like a safe bet to also crush it in the NFL, especially with Pete Carroll in Vegas. He hasn't. And with veteran Geno Smith struggling to do much of anything in 2025, it's obvious they'd like to be in a different position.

For reference, Dart has 195 rushing yards in five starts as a quarterback. Jeanty has 445 in seven games as a running back.

New Orleans Saints (No. 9 pick: OT Kelvin Banks Jr.)

The Saints got the best of the G-Men in Week 5 with Spencer Rattler under center, but he's 1-13 as a starter and has been officially benched for rookie Tyler Shough for Week 9. Maybe Shough is the guy for NOLA moving forward, but he's already 26 years old, making charting his development pretty difficult.

Would they rather have a relatively-known commodity with all the upside in the 22-year-old Dart? We'll certainly find out on Sunday.

Miami Dolphins (No. 13 pick: DL Kenneth Grant)

After going 28-23 with Tua Tagovailoa his first three seasons in Miami, head coach Mike McDaniel is likely frustrated with the lack of synergy the two currently have in Year 4. The Fins are 2-6, and things are as rocky as ever. There's a belief both the head coach and starting quarterback are on the way out, so this felt like a pretty safe inclusion.

The Dolphins are going nowhere fast. It wasn't two months ago that fans were thinking playoffs. But life comes at you fast in the NFL. Grant is struggling. He has not been the big, physical, run-stopping force Miami was hoping for when they selected him out of Michigan. At the time, it would have been wild to grab Daert 13th, but hindsight has a funny way of making us all look dumb sometimes.