The New York Giants are preparing to kick off a new era with Jaxson Dart as their next franchise quarterback.
The rookie will have to wait a while behind Russell Wilson before he gets his chance to take over, but that gives him plenty of time to sit, grow, and develop before stepping into the starting role.
Dart also has plenty of resources being lent to him during this developmental process. In addition to having Wilson as his teammate and mentor, the Giants’ rookie benefits from his long-running relationship with franchise legend Eli Manning.
Jaxson Dart discusses his relationship with Eli Manning
As a product of the Ole Miss Rebels, Dart got to know Manning well during his collegiate career. The last time the Giants landed an Ole Miss quarterback in the first round of the draft was in 2004 when they traded for Manning.
Manning has remained involved both with the Ole Miss college football program and with the Giants’ organization. That has allowed him to develop a “genuine connection” with Dart, as the rookie described during an interview with Sports Illustrated at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere:
“Eli has been a huge role model of mine, even before I got to Ole Miss,” Dart said. “Being able to watch him beat Tom [Brady] — twice — that was incredible. Then I go to Ole Miss and, not only him, but the whole Manning family was great to me.
“Specifically, Eli was just a great asset… Anytime I had a question, I could reach out to him, and I knew he was going to be there for me, then carrying that to now with the Giants.”
No quarterback could share more valuable knowledge with Dart about how to succeed than Manning. The two-time Super Bowl champion spent 16 seasons donning Giants blue, etching his name into the history books, and establishing himself as one of the franchise’s all-time greats.
“We’ve built such a genuine connection and, at the same time, he’s done it,” Dart said. “He’s going to be a Hall of Famer. He’s also around the facility all the time, so it’s great to have him and to continue to grow this relationship that we have.”
The Giants have a conviction in Dart
The Giants had a strong conviction in Dart, motivating them to trade up and select him No. 25 overall in this year’s draft.
In 2024, Dart was electric, throwing for 4,279 yards with a 29-6 TD-INT ratio in the SEC — college football’s toughest conference.
Any comparisons to Manning and any expectations to be like Manning would be unfair to hand to Dart. The rookie needs to carve his own path and do it his own way as the Giants’ franchise quarterback — just as Manning did two decades ago.
While it’s valuable to have such excellent mentorship from a franchise legend, Dart and Manning’s Ole Miss connections are where the majority of their similarities start and end. On the field, Dart plays with a much different style than Manning did, and that style perfectly aligns with what head coach Brian Daboll seeks in his quarterbacks.
Dart might not take the field until 2026. In the meantime, he will spend his time learning from the many resources available to him as he prepares and develops into a franchise quarterback.
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