It took all of three regular‑season games for the New York Giants to completely trash their plan to develop Jaxson Dart behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. On paper it looked smart: let the 22‑year‑old rookie adjust to the NFL as a project, easing him in.
So much for that. Big Blue has officially named Dart the starter in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, all but ending the (very short) Wilson era in East Rutherford. There are several storylines to follow, with general manager Joe Schoen essentially burning Wilson's $10.5 million being one of them. But that’s far from the only cost the G-Men suffered.
Coming off one of the most electric preseasons, undrafted fan favorite Tommy DeVito got squeezed off the roster as Daboll and Schoen trimmed down to 53. Affectionately called “Tommy Cutlets,” his release is squarely on this regime’s shoulders — along with the lost $10.5 million that might have gone to actual roster upgrades.
Joe Schoen costs Giants DeVito while signing (then benching) Russell Wilson
The lasting image of Russ throwing the football into the goalpost on Sunday Night Football proved to be too much to justify keeping him under center. Football fans everywhere will point to his late four-play, fourth-quarter sequence as arguably the worst ever. And ultimately, it was too much for him to overcome.
Ironically enough, no one moved the goalpost... he just threw footballs at them.
Say what you will about quarterback acumen — Wilson is one of the best to ever do it, regardless of how far he’s fallen off in recent years. So it made a lot of sense to want the first-round rookie to learn behind someone with 14 years of experience. However, Winston could’ve served that role, while DeVito could’ve been Dart’s best mate… which he was while he was with the team.
Tommy Cutlets and Dart immediately clicked. It showed at practice, in press conferences, and the energy the two gave off was infectious. At one point, there was even some talk about getting the two of them on the hit reality TV show Love Island. Their bond knew no bounds. That’s gone. Along with $10.5 million that could’ve gone toward real roster upgrades to help the 25th overall pick.
But it was all for nothing. The day after being released, the New England Patriots scooped up DeVito for their quarterback room, officially leaving “Cutlets” behind and turning him into Tommy Chowder. It’s the ultimate slap in the face, and all of this could’ve been avoided. Obviously, operating in hindsight would’ve made these decisions easier, but this organization needs to stop getting passes.
All eyes will be on Sunday afternoon, where Dart will make his anxiously awaited debut in front of the masses at MetLife Stadium. However we got here, none of that matters now. It’s officially the Jaxson Dart show.
Too bad it cost the Giants $10.5 million and Tommy DeVito to get here.