NY Giants QB Jaxson Dart Opens Up About Being Passed Over in Draft By Saints

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is only a rookie. But he definitely knows better.

When the topic of how he might have been in a different uniform this fall, such as the one of the NEw Orleans Saints who are next on the Giants' schedule, was brought up, Dart wisely took the high road in refusing to provide bulletin board material after the Saints passed on him in the 2025 draft.

“I met with them multiple times. (Saints head coach Kellen) Coach Moore was great (Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier). Coach Nuss was great, too. Definitely had a good relationship with them during the whole process,” Dart said Wednesday. 

The visit, at least from Dart’s perspective, went well enough that he thought he might have had a chance of landing in New Orleans.

Instead, the Saints, with the ninth pick in the draft order, selected tackle Kelvin Banks, Jr, out of Texas, and then plucked quarterback Tyler Shough out of Louisville in the second round with the 40th overall pick--15 picks after the Giants had traded back into the bottom of the first round to acquire Dart.

“You kind of have thoughts in your head during the draft of what options are really realistic, and I definitely felt like that was a place that could have panned out. But things didn't work out that way,” Dart said.

The way things worked out, however, has left Dart happy.

“I love it here,” he said. “There’s not a place that I'd rather be. I love how passionate people are here, both outside and within the facility. I kind of like the attitude that the East Coasters have, and it's a lot of fun.”

As for any extra motivation for “revenge” against the Saints to show them what they passed over, that’s probably the furthest thing from the quarterback’s mind. 

“I think that there's always a chip on your shoulder any time that something like that happens,” Dart said.

“I'm just going to go out there and play as hard as I can,” he added.