Robert Griffin III, Sam Bradford, and Mac Jones. Three quarterbacks taken in the first round of their respective drafts who showed plenty of promise as rookies before taking a pretty significant step backward in Year 2.
That brings us to New York Giants franchise QB hopeful Jaxson Dart. His rookie season wasn’t quite as decorated as the names above (all three either won Offensive Rookie of the Year or finished as the runner-up). He still played well enough for general manager Joe Schoen to convince future Hall of Fame head coach John Harbaugh to take the job in East Rutherford and begin completely overhauling the team in his image.
Now Dart’s got a whole bunch of new toys to work with in 2026. He managed to show plenty as a rookie despite playing with an offense that desperately needed more around him, and the Giants spent the offseason making sure that excuse wouldn’t follow him into Year 2.
The assumption is that with a new coaching staff and new weapons surrounding him, the 23-year-old has everything he needs to take a big leap in 2026. But what happens if that doesn't become the reality? After all, you know what happens when you assume...
Jaxson Dart is about to answer the biggest question hanging over the Giants
Will Big Blue’s front seven finally stop the run this year? Is the cornerback room good enough to keep them in games? Is undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada finally the answer to New York’s kicking nightmare? Can they hold a fourth-quarter lead?
Those are just a couple of the biggest questions surrounding the G-Men as they enter 2026, but the biggest one that’s seemingly going unnoticed -- or purposefully being ignored -- is pretty simple: What if Jaxson Dart doesn’t take the Year 2 leap everyone is expecting?
And that's a terrifying thought to be left alone with.
RG3 went from winning OROY and leading the then-Washington Redskins to the playoffs before an injury derailed his entire career. Jones took the Tom Brady-less Patriots from a league afterthought to the playoffs as a rookie, earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way, before everything went south in Year 2. Bradford also won OROY, looking every bit like the then-St. Louis Rams’ next franchise QB after Marc Bulger. That didn’t last long. He went 1-9 the following season, throwing just six touchdowns to six interceptions.
The point is that you can think, hope, pray, cross your fingers, etc., that your first-round QB will keep getting better, but sometimes the football gods have other plans, regardless of how much support you throw their way.
Big Blue gave Dart an offensive line upgrade in rookie RG Francis Mauigoa and completely overhauled the receiver room, bringing in Darnell Mooney, rookie Malachi Fields, and the hometown hero himself, Odell Beckham Jr. Isaiah Likely gives him another intriguing target at tight end, while Najee Harris gives the backfield another option.
Schoen and Harbaugh have spent the last couple of months doing just about everything they can to make Dart’s life easier. Now comes the fun (or anxiety-inducing) part of finding out whether it works.
Hopefully, we’re sitting here in January laughing about ever bringing Mac Jones, RG3, and Sam Bradford into this conversation. Maybe Dart takes the leap everyone hopes for, and all those shiny new toys help turn the Giants into a real football team again.
If he doesn’t, figuring out whether Zvada can kick or the defense can stop the run might quickly feel like the least of their problems.
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