Jaxson Dart put up two fingers, flashed a smirk and said “twice” with conviction.
Dart, the New York Giants’ rookie quarterback, was discussing his relationship with Eli Manning before mentioning how well he remembers the two Super Bowl victories over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
“Eli has been a huge role model of mine,” Dart told Sports Illustrated during a sit-down interview at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere last week in Los Angeles. “Even before I got to Ole Miss, being able to watch him beat Tom twice, that was incredible.”
Dart didn’t hesitate to support his mentor Manning at the expense of the greatest quarterback of all time. The rookie signal-caller wasn’t being disrespectful to Brady. He was displaying his assertiveness that won over Giants coach Brian Daboll in the lead up to the 2025 NFL draft.
Dart discussed the intense predraft meetings he had with Daboll and touched on the Giants’ competitive quarterback room, which includes Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito. Dart already has big plans for how to follow in the footsteps of Manning, the Giants’ legendary quarterback and fellow Ole Miss product.
“There’s not a better city to play for, there’s not a better place to be than New York,” Dart says.
Below is the full Q&A with the No. 25 pick in the draft.
Sports Illustrated: The NFLPA Rookie Premiere is about learning the business side of sports, but in a way, it also helps with preparing for life after football. It’s probably way too soon, but have you thought about life after football? Or is it all about what you’re going to do with the Giants?
Jaxson Dart: Quite honestly, I haven’t really thought too much about life after football. Quite honestly, I have never thought about life after football. My process up to this point has been all about the game. Right now, I’m still trying to just learn an offense, get ingrained into the system, to the coaching staff, as well as the locker room. That’s really been on my mind, but coming to this, hearing stories. We got to meet the St. Browns today. I’ve known them [Amon-Ra and Equanimeous] for a while now, but to hear them and how they approach things off the field with their podcast has been super cool. Hearing about different things like that is definitely something to keep in mind going forward.
SI: You have a USC connection with Amon-Ra St. Brown?
JD: I’ve known Amon-Ra since I was in high school before I committed to SC. We’ve also worked out with each other in the offseason. It’s always a good time to catch up with them.
SI: I saw the video of you asking the New York media to introduce themselves before asking a question so you can start the process of learning names. Is it too soon to say you have learned some names?
JD: I don’t think that you could really remember everybody’s name, like 50 people’s names, all in one sitting, but it’s just the start of relationships. You’re continuing to get to know people. It’s a two-way street. That’s kind of how I view it. You want to get to know others, and they want to get to know you. Like I said, it’s a two-way street, so I thought that was important for me to do, and I’m really excited to get to know them. We’re going to have a lot more interactions coming up. Give me a little bit of time, and I’m going to have it all down.
SI: Standing at the podium in New York, in New Jersey, just seeing all the media there, how was that for you to soak it in for the first time?
JD: Yeah, that was my first experience with the New York media. Quite honestly, it’s something I’m really looking forward to. It’s a privilege to be the quarterback for the Giants. I’m going to take it upon my shoulders to make sure that I handle it and approach it the right way, go out there and give it everything that I got. I feel like if I do that, then I’ll have no regrets. There’s not a better city to play for, there’s not a better place to be than New York.
SI: A lot of notable names in your quarterback room, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Tommy DeVito. How has it been so far? I know it’s been only a couple weeks, but just getting to know those guys, how has that been?
JD: They’ve been great. They were three of the first people to reach out to me when I got drafted, heard my name called. I’ve watched Russ since he was with the Seahawks, winning a Super Bowl. And I have one of his jerseys, so it’s great to be in that room and then getting to learn from guys like Jameis, who has bounced around from a few different places, but has played at such as high level, has such a great understanding of the game and has so much knowledge, being able to use him as an asset to just learn and continue to grow. And then Tommy, I mean Tommy is a baller, so it’s been great to have a relationship with him. We have a special quarterback room.
SI: Obviously, it’s going to be a competitive quarterback room, and coach Brian Daboll said Russell Wilson is the starter right now. But him saying that, does that ease you into getting to ask questions to Wilson and the other veterans?
JD: Our sole focus, as a quarterback room, is to win games. That’s why we come to work every single day. We want to win. So we all have the same focus, we have the same intent in what we’re doing and how we’re trying to handle it to make the team better. Obviously, you’re competing, but those guys, they’ve been in my shoes, they were rookies once, too. They understand the growing pains, the adjustments from learning a new system so fast, and adjusting to the game speed. They’ve been great assets for me, giving me advice. I have a great corner with those guys, so I’m going to continue to lean on them.
SI: Working with Brian Daboll, who has extensive coaching experience, from working with Nick Saban at Alabama, working with Bill Belichick and the Patriots and working with Josh Allen and the Bills. How has it been working with Daboll and picking his brain?
JD: Coach [Daboll] is great. We formed such a strong connection throughout this combine time and just this whole offseason of draft prep. It’s been just a privilege to get to play for him. There’s not another coach I’d rather be playing for. Just his ability to develop quarterbacks, see the game as a whole. He’s coached every single position. He understands it through and through. I love his intensity, I love the way he coaches. This is where I wanted to be, so I’m grateful to be able to play under a coach like him.
SI: Daboll is known for taking top draft prospects to the board and telling them to draw up plays and testing them on their prep work before the draft meeting. Take me to those meetings where you had to prove yourself to him. Was that intense?
JD: You better be prepared going into a Daboll meeting, because it’s intense and he definitely wants to get the most out of you. I would say if you’re not prepared, don’t step into the meeting because you’re going to get grilled, but I felt like I was really prepared for it. I was ready for it. They threw all they could at me. I was able to handle it the best way that I could. That just shows how intentional and how dedicated that coaching staff is to this process and finding the right guy.
SI: To get to know you better, who are some quarterbacks you grew up watching? Were there any other sports you grew up playing?
JD: First of all, I love baseball. For a little bit in college, really until the middle of my senior football season, I thought I was going to be playing baseball in college. That was kind of really all the attention that I had from schools was on the baseball side until things shook up for me on the football side. Football has always been my favorite, so I knew once I was able to get a few things rolling, it was going be the route I wanted to take.
But from a quarterback standpoint, there are so many great guys, who have played for such a long time, who I have really looked up to. Being from Utah, I never really had an NFL team because we didn’t have one. I was always just a fan of different players growing up. Guys like Brett Favre. Obviously, every quarterback wants to be like Tom Brady. Guys in the league, who you try to see similarities in their game, so guys like Josh Allen. There are so many greats, so many guys I’ve looked up to, but those are just a few who I really dove deep into their game.
SI: You got that phone call from Eli Manning after you got drafted by the Giants. How was that?
JD: Eli has been a huge role model for me. Even before I got to Ole Miss, being able to watch him beat Tom twice [in the Super Bowl] was incredible. Then I went to Ole Miss and not only him, the whole Manning family was great to me. Specifically, Eli was just a great asset. We had a few different things that we ran together there and then any time I had a question, I could reach out to him, and I knew he was going to be there for me. And then carrying that now with the Giants, he’s living right down the road and he’s been great making sure that I know I have him in my corner, and if I have questions that I can continue to ask. I think that’s a huge asset, because we’ve built such a genuine connection and time. He’s done it. He’s going to be a Hall of Famer. He’s also around the facility all the time. It’s great to have him and continue to grow this relationship.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jaxson Dart Q&A: ‘It’s a Privilege to Be the Quarterback for the Giants’.