New York Giants fans, if you thought the Brian Daboll era has been rocky, maybe you forgot just how brutal life was rooting for Big Blue under infamous ex-head coach Joe Judge. Those years were rough.
Judge never truly got a chance to turn things around in East Rutherford. He had just two seasons to work with, but through 33 games, it was painfully obvious he wasn’t the answer. So, New York canned him and brought in Daboll to run the show... which has been a mixed bag itself, to say the least.
But don’t look now — things are starting to trend up for Big Blue with the 50-year-old steering the ship. It’s amazing what can happen when there’s a competent quarterback under center. And that’s exactly what the G-Men have in rookie sensation Jaxson Dart. The decision to trade back into the first round to get him with the 25th-overall pick could prove to be an all-time great move by general manager Joe Schoen. But they might not have landed on the 22-year-old had it not been for the former failed coach himself, Joe Judge.
Joe Judge quietly helped Giants land Jaxson Dart in 2025 draft
Talk about not burning bridges on the way out. If anything, the once-burned Giants — and now Ole Miss assistant quarterbacks coach — might’ve just helped shape their bright future.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, while Daboll and Schoen did their due diligence on Dart leading up to the 2025 Draft, they also received a ton of scouting input from Judge:
“Believe it or not, the Giants also leaned on some unlikely help,” Russini wrote. “Ole Miss assistant quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, the former Giants head coach, helped the team learn everything it needed to know about Dart.”
And thank goodness for that.
Judge joined Lane Kiffin’s coaching staff in 2024 — Dart’s final season. He had a front-row seat to the 4,279-yard passing and 29-touchdown performance, which fortunately allowed him to serve as a pseudo-regional scout for Big Blue. Who would’ve thought we’d be here?
There’s zero doubt that the Giants are over the moon with their decision to draft Dart. He’s 2-1 as a starter, collecting wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. He’s thrown for four touchdown passes and 508 yards with a 65.9 completion percentage, culminating in an 87.8 quarterback rating.
Not to be forgotten, he also has 167 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, tying Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts as the only players of the Super Bowl era to have 50-plus rushing yards in each of their first three starts. Not bad company.
If the rookie sensation can keep improving and developing, Giants fans are in for a treat. Better days are ahead.
The jury’s still out on whether this play is sustainable, but he sure looks like the prince who was promised. Only time will tell — but when it’s all said and done, you'll be the Judge.