Giants QB Jaxson Dart Has This Regret About His Rookie Campaign

With one game left in his rookie campaign, Jaxson Dart wishes this were happening.

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) looks on after the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It’s been a long season for the New York Giants.

But not for quarterback Jaxson Dart, who is finishing his first extended campaign playing football.

“I would love to continue to keep playing. I love football. There’s no thought for me of hoping this to be over,” he said on Wednesday. 

“It's going to kill me to watch other teams play while we're not. I just had a ton of fun competing this year. I think for all of us, it's a dream to have this opportunity to play a season.”

For the Dart and the Giants, they’ll have to wait until next year, since their season was technically over in late October, when the wheels fell off the wagon, and the team embarked on a nine-game slide that saw them become the first NFL team to be eliminated from postseason contention.

That’s why for Dart and his teammates, their regular-season finale at home against the Dallas Cowboys is going to be one they’ll play as if their season depended on it.  

“Yeah, it'd be big for us,” Dart said about potentially getting a win, which would give the Giants their first back-to-back victories since 2023. 

“We have one more opportunity to go out there and play as brothers and compete against a division team, a division rival. It’s going to be huge for us. Then, at the same time, continue to carry momentum.”

Lessons learned

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws the ball in the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

For all the success Dart has had, his biggest regret is that the team came up short in the win column.

But if there is the slightest sliver of a silver lining among the clouds, it’s that the team believes it’s found its franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future, a role that Dart has embraced with open arms.

“Definitely wish we won more games. That’s kind of just on the forefront of my mind of preparing,” Dart said when asked how he’d sum up his rookie campaign. 

“I think I've done some good things. I feel like I've had a productive year, played at a high level. Obviously, there's a lot to continue growing from and taking strides on. But I've been happy with some things. Obviously, you want to clean up on some other areas as well.”

He has also been part of the maturation of Dart from a wide-eyed rookie who came in with his hair on fire and loads of expectations, and who, over the weeks and months, has settled into the role he envisions himself playing for the next decade plus.

“In the NFL, you've got to be able to bounce back quickly,” he said of what he’s learned about life in the NFL. 

“Number two, the biggest thing is if you don't capitalize on plays at the very end of the game in crunch time situations, and the other team does, there's a good chance that they might win the game. You've got to capitalize on every single moment.”

Growing confidence

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) dives for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

To some, Dart might appear cocky. But to those who know him best–his teammates and coaches–his confidence in himself, which he shows to his teammates and coaches, is infectious.

“Absolutely. That's the vision that I have for myself. That's the expectation, and everybody here has the highest expectation for that,” he said. 

“That's the environment that I want to be in. That's the environment that I want to thrive in, and I think that I'm just going to continue to make strides. I've done that my entire career, and I'm just really excited.”

He’s also excited to potentially deliver one more win this season in the one game left and then many more, as he was heard on the latest episode of Hard Knocks after the Giants’ win against the Raiders, in which Dart told Giants general manager Joe Schoen that the team has “to start (winning games) more often.” 

“He's the person who drafted me and had a lot of time with him during the draft process,” Dart said. 

“Just excited for the future here. I know that we're going to win a lot of games.”

Which is why he doesn’t think the Giants are that far off from turning it around.   

“We’ve got the pieces,” he said. “This is not an excuse, but obviously, we've had a tough schedule, and we've been in really tight games where this season could completely flip. 

“It's those one-score games and who can capitalize on those moments, and there are a lot of teams who have great records right now where it could be completely flipped for them as well. So, we've got a lot of talent. We have some good vets, and we have a ton of young guys who are going to continue to thrive.

“I’ve said this a lot, we just have a ton of excitement for the future because we know what this thing can do and how we can flip this around.”

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