Jackson Dart’s second season in the NFL is officially over.
Quarterly He suffered a knee injury While playing against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night and the initial prognosis was that Darts would not be seriously injured — and that he would have to take his jersey off as the team tried to re-enter the game — reports out of New York worsened Tuesday. After an MRI was performed on his injured left knee, reports surfaced that the quarterback may have suffered a more serious injury.
That has now been confirmed.
Like many reportersDart said the attack “damaged the MCL, PCL and meniscus.” Monday night football. While his ACL is intact, the main issue is the meniscus, and he will undergo knee surgery “leading to a full recovery but ending the 2026 season.”
So where do the Giants go from here?
The Giants are one of the few teams with only a pair of running backs on the active roster, with Darth and Jameis Winston. Winston entered the game Monday night and completed 11-of-27 passes for 111 yards and an interception, and that streak ended what had been a promising scoring streak.
New York also has Jake Heiner on the practice squad, who could be promoted to the active roster.
Also consider this: Winston doesn’t have to start the rest of the way, which would make it the fourth straight season the Giants have used at least three starting pitchers.
But the bigger questions center on what other moves might follow and how Dart’s injury will affect New York’s 2027 plans. Maybe JJ McCarthy, who was rejected by the Minnesota Vikings in New York, will try and swing a trade for another quarterback? And what about the 2027 NFL draft? So far, results have been mixed from the highly-anticipated 2027 quarterback class — though both Drew Mestemaker And Trinidad Chambis They’ve been impressed so far — with Dart now missing time for the second straight season, the Giants might at least consider addressing the position again.
More likely, though, is the Giants’ decision to run Darts back and build around him, rather than cut ties with their young quarterback.
As such, it could be the case that they would be an attractive position to trade in the first round, for a team with a greater interest in the position. Both the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets could fit into this category, and both teams have plenty of first-round picks to move up in the draft. Cleveland has a pair of picks (their own and one from the Myles Garrett trade), while the Jets have three: their own, one from the Saus Gardner trade to the Indianapolis Colts, and another via the Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys in the Quinn Williams trade.
This situation mirrors what is happening in Washington with Jayden Daniels and his commanders. With Daniels dislocating his left (non-throwing) elbow again, the Chiefs could be in a position to make a decision at the top of next year’s draft, and perhaps clear the position themselves, or become an interesting spot for another team looking for a quarterback.
Either way, Darts’ injury is a situation that could affect more teams than the Giants and impact more than the 2026 campaign.