The New York Giants did it again. They found a way to win a late-season game that absolutely, one hundred percent did not need to be won, and handed over the No. 1 overall pick in the process.
Sunday’s 34-10 Week 17 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders felt good for the players, interim head coach Mike Kafka for sure, and the team's morale, but that's about where the good times ended. The Raiders leapfrogged Big Blue in the standings for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 Draft, and fans were left feeling deja vu, as the same stories of 2023 and 2024 resurfaced.
Which is how you end up arguing about quarterbacks again in late December, because nothing keeps this franchise on brand quite like QB chatter.
But just when the draft outlook felt all but settled, Dante Moore’s looming Jan. 5 draft decision is quietly threatening to reshape the entire conversation in the best way possible.
Dante Moore’s decision might save the Giants from themselves
The Jaxson Dart debate has already split the football world into familiar camps. There are the believers who see a fearless playmaker operating in a broken environment and the skeptics who see durability issues, raw mechanics, and too much inconsistency.
The front office traded back into the first round to get the 22-year-old, which should buy him time, but it won't buy him a get-out-of-jail-free card from the naysayers.
That uncertainty is exactly why Oregon's star quarterback's upcoming draft decision matters more to Giants fans than they might think.
Moore is widely considered this draft's QB2, a top-10 overall prospect, and a quarterback whose profile checks boxes that scouts drool over. He's calm under pressure, has advanced processing, possesses natural playmaking abilities, and he plays fast without looking rushed.
If the 20-year-old declares, the Giants’ loss of the No. 1 overall pick suddenly stings a whole lot less. Quarterback-needy teams will still line up to move up to No. 2, especially franchises like the Jets, Steelers, Browns, or Cardinals. Even a forward-looking team like the LA Rams, with Matthew Stafford’s retirement looming, could justify an aggressive move.
And it's here where the G-Men regain a lot of leverage.
If Moore declares, they can still trade back. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is garnering all the interest at the top, meaning possibilities could be endless at No. 2. The third-year sophomore's decision could turn flexibility into assets and assets into options -- specifically for the former Ole Miss standout. Building a competitive roster around Dart is the only thing NY should be focusing on.
So yes, the Giants beat the Raiders in a meaningless late-season game and botched the easiest path to the first overall pick. But if Dante Moore declares by Jan. 5, the conversation shifts from what the G-Men screwed up to what they can still do in April, which makes his decision one of the sneakiest storylines to follow.