Giants' Jaxson Dart 'aware' of how he must change after concerning comments

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart sparked new concerns about what he will and won't do during games when he said that he was "puzzled" by the fact that he was forced into the blue medical tent after he took a crunching hit in the Giants' 13-10 preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 15.

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated visited the Giants and shared what he learned about Dart's development under first-year New York head coach John Harbaugh and first-year offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

Jaxson Dart has worked to "better understand" when taking risks aren't worth it

"Yes, he’s aware that he needs to hit the deck quicker than he did a year ago, and he’s worked through tape with the coaches to better understand when he needs to prioritize living to see another down," Breer wrote about Dart.

As a rookie, Dart missed two games last November while in the concussion protocol. Since the Giants kicked off their first preseason game of the 2025 campaign, he has been checked for a concussion on six different occasions.

Against the Vikings, Dart was the victim of a blown blocking assignment when he was rocked at MetLife Stadium. That said, the fact that he didn’t immediately pop back up triggered what the league later referred to as a "standard medical timeout." 

Recently, Giants co-owner Chris Mara insisted that the club doesn't "have a problem with" Dart's playing style as long as the signal-caller remembers "to get out of bounds or try to slide." Breer's update indicates Dart will be better about doing just that this fall. 

How Jaxson Dart is working to improve under Matt Nagy

Meanwhile, Nagy previously found success working with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes while serving as the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator. Breer detailed one way that Dart is being asked to mimic Mahomes this summer. 

"He’s going from one-word calls to longer, more-traditional West Coast verbiage, which has been both a challenge and, as he sees it, a benefit as he settles in for his second year," Breer wrote about Dart. "As Dart puts it, he needs to know the jobs of all 11 guys anyway, so having to run through everyone’s responsibility should give him more command of the offense. ...As for Nagy, what’s really interesting to me is this is the first time he’ll get to focus on just being a play-caller — all of his previous experience calling an offense came as a head coach."

Giants ownership is clearly hoping Dart will both make a major leap and stay healthy while playing under Harbaugh and Nagy. If Dart fails to impress with his play or he goes down with another concerning injury, Harbaugh and Co. could take part in some uncomfortable conversations during the winter regarding the franchise's long-term quarterback plans.