It’s not every day you hear New York Giants fans buzzing with optimism in September about the quarterback position. Usually, that conversation involves eye rolls, debates over offensive line play, and someone inevitably muttering the name “Daniel Jones” through clenched teeth. But here we are in 2025, and a rookie quarterback named Jaxson Dart has flipped the script.
The Ole Miss product has taken three preseason games and turned them into a movement, giving Big Blue a reason to believe that maybe — just maybe — the future arrived a little earlier than expected.
The hype isn’t confined to the Meadowlands, either. ESPN analyst Seth Walder put his name on the line, dropping a prediction that could alter the G-Men’s timeline. Forget the “sit and learn” model, Walder sees the former Rebel starting sooner rather than later, and not in some desperate December last-ditch effort mission either. He’s circling Week 5 against the Saints as the rookie’s NFL debut.
In his own words: “QB Jaxson Dart will make his first start no later than Week 5. There has been buzz around Dart’s preseason, and I can’t imagine the Giants are too excited to cling to the Wilson era longer than they have to with a first-round QB waiting in the wings. Facing the Saints in Week 5 could be a nice soft landing for Dart to begin his NFL career.”
That sound you just heard was Russell Wilson clutching his playbook a little tighter.
Jaxson Dart could be feeling Saint-like sooner than expected
Big Blue didn’t trade back into the first round to grab Dart at No. 25 overall just to hide him under a red hoodie for a year. This is a franchise that ranked 31st in scoring offense last season. They signed Wilson and Jameis Winston to stabilize things, but stability doesn’t fill MetLife Stadium with hope.
Preseason may not crown champions, but Dart’s command in those three games — 32-of-47 for 372 yards and four touchdowns — made it obvious he’s ahead of schedule.
Head coach Brian Daboll has been predictably coy, pushing the “patience” card like a Vegas dealer. General manager Joe Schoen insists there’s no timeline, that Russ has “looked good in camp.” That’s fine on the microphone, but the math doesn’t lie. New York enters the season with the hardest schedule in football. If they stumble out of the gate with Wilson wobbling behind center, the calls for Dart will go from background hum to full-on stadium chant.
And the Week 5 opponent is the Saints, projected bottom-feeders who could be starting rookie Tyler Shough by then. Walder may be the one writing the bold prediction, but the script is already writing itself.
The Giants have built this thing with a “future-first” mindset. They’ve got a terrifying pass rush, a refreshed morale, and a rookie quarterback whose confidence looks tailor-made for New York. Whether Dabs is ready to admit it or not, the rookie sensation feels less like a question of if and more like when.
So if Walder’s right, the answer is October 5th, Saints at Giants. Buckle up, the Dart era might be here before the leaves even turn.