Jaxson Dart quickly turned a worrying opening-quarter hit into one of the standout moments of the Giants’ preseason, returning to throw a deft touchdown pass in New York head coach John Harbaugh’s first exhibition game leading Big Blue.
The scare came against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium, where Dart was knocked to the turf late in the first quarter after missing blitzing safety Jay Ward in protection.
“Dart gets blasted,” Giants play-by-play voice Bob Papa said on the broadcast, calling the action alongside franchise greats Carl Banks and Phil Simms.
The hit prompted the Giants to send Dart to the medical tent for a concussion evaluation, a scene that echoed several moments from his previous season.
To the relief of Harbaugh, the Giants sideline and a nervous MetLife crowd, Dart cleared concussion protocol and was back on the field just two plays later. What followed offered fans an early glimpse of the excitement he could bring this season.
Moving left from the 15-yard line, Dart lofted a well-placed throw into traffic in the end zone, where rookie third-round selection Malachi Fields fought through coverage and secured the touchdown catch.
Jaxson Dart recovered from an early injury scare to throw an eye-catching touchdown pass in John Harbaugh’s preseason debut as Giants head coach
Dart was knocked down in the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium after failing to account for blitzing safety Jay Ward
Two plays after going down, Dart scrambled left before delivering a pretty touchdown pass
‘Dart is already really showing that he’s a starter-quality QB,’ one fan gushed about the second-year signal caller. ‘I think he’s gonna have a long, solid career in the NFL.’
‘Not many [quarterbacks] turn that into a TD,’ another added. ‘Jaxson dart does.’
One fan declared the ‘level of difficulty was ridiculous,’ before adding: ‘Dart is making these throws look way too easy.’
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Dart was pulled after completing 3 of 4 passes for 26 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
The Ole Miss product has become a fan favorite of frustrated Giants fans, as well as President Donald Trump, who had Dart introduce him at a recent rally.
Asked by ESPN for his Super Bowl favorites heading into the season, Trump said this week that ‘New England looks good,’ the ‘LA Rams are looking very strong,’ and included the Giants as well.
‘I like their quarterback a lot,’ Trump said.
Jaxson Dart is helped off the field after being sacked by Minnesota Vikings’ Jay Ward
Dart introduces President Donald Trump during a Fighting For American Workers event in May
Dart and Trump have developed into an offseason storyline after the young Giants quarterback introduced the President at a Republican rally in Suffern, New York on May 22.
Trump later fawned over Dart, saying in the Oval Office: ‘The quarterback Jaxson was the quarter— is the quarterback for the Giants. He’s a big, strong guy.
‘And I said, “How do you think you do in women’s sports, Jaxson?” He said, “Pretty good, sir.” He didn’t know I was joking. He was not worried. Let me put it that way.
‘He would have been the greatest athlete in the history of women’s sports. You got to see the size of this guy, like a male model, and he’s going to be a great quarterback.’
Dart’s appearance caused a rift in the Giants locker room, with defensive star Abdul Carter publicly calling him out, writing: ‘Thought this s*** was AI, what we doing man,’ in an X post he later deleted.
Both players later addressed the controversy at OTAs in May, with neither fully backing down or admitting wrongdoing but insisting their difference in political opinion would have no impact on the Giants locker room.
‘Some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things,’ Carter said. ‘Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise.
