FOXBOROUGH, MA — Jaxson Dart has a message for anybody who thinks he should reconsider his playing style.
‘This isn’t soccer,’ the New York Giants quarterback said.
In Dart’s return from a two-game absence following a concussion he suffered Nov. 16 against the Chicago Bears, he took one of the more vicious – and by the book – hits a quarterback can take in the NFL when New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss leveled him near the Giants’ sideline in the first quarter of the eventual 33-15 Patriots victory on ‘Monday Night Football.’
‘I play the game aggressively,’ Dart said defiantly following the loss. ‘I took one hit that people are talking about. I slid. Got out of the way of a lot of hits. I appreciate people wanting me to be healthy and all that stuff, and I want to be healthy too.’
In Dart’s view, he was trying to reach the first-down marker when Elliss blasted him. He maintained the hit had no effect on the way he went about the rest of the game, although there were certainly instances in which he seemed hesitant, trapped between wanting to take off or throw the ball away or whatever rapid thoughts must cross the mind of a rookie quarterback with a pocket collapsing around him.
“It didn’t hurt,” he said, “so that didn’t play any thought in my mind.”
Dart might be right about the fact that his concussion suffered against the Bears came on a fluky play. He claimed he lost control of the ball while running it and, while trying to regain possession, failed to properly brace himself for contact with the ground. That moment cost him two games of his rookie season.
But he’s also ignoring the three other times he was evaluated for a concussion since the start of the preseason, and Monday marked his eighth career start.
The Ole Miss product encouraged anyone who questioned his play style to watch his tape from high school and college. This is simply who he is, he says.
“It’s not a shocker to anybody. It’s how I’ve played,” the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 draft said. “I felt like if you just watch the game, like, I did slide. I did avoid a lot of hits, so you’re going to get hit. It’s football.”
But what about the fact this is the NFL? Dart replied that all adjustments are different.
“So just like any other league, you take new steps, there’s bigger, faster players. My body feels good. I’m going to play aggressive,” he said. “I feel like if I just turn into a complete pocket passer, that’s just not how I want to play the game. I feel like there’s an advantage to me using my legs. So, yeah.”
Nobody is asking Dart to become a statue. But to show an ounce of understanding and humility would come across as maturity.
Instead, Dart kept doubling down.
“I understand the question, but this is football,” said Dart, who often looked exasperated standing behind the podium. “Like, I’m going to get hit if I’m in the pocket or outside the pocket. I feel like I played this way my whole entire life. It shouldn’t be any shocker to anybody if you followed along with my career.
“You’re going to get hit. Things happen. It’s just part of the game.”
Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka said he “obviously” doesn’t want Dart to take any hits that are unnecessary but saw that the quarterback was “working his way out of bounds” on the play.
“Listen, Jaxson’s an aggressive football player,” Kafka said. “He’s on the sideline, trying to get himself out of bounds. Takes a hit. He bounced up. He’s a tough kid.”
Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis III said Dart is “a gutsy player” who “wants to make plays.” Young players trying to prove themselves in the NFL often play that way.
“Just by watching the film, you could tell he’s going to take some chances, and that’s good for him,” Davis told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s the only way he could really learn in this league – taking chances and being confident.”
Davis considers Dart a playmaker who “when he hits his stride, he’ll be similar to Baker Mayfield.”
That’s high praise, but even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is still dealing with the ramifications of being tough with a left shoulder injury that knocked him out of a Nov. 23 game against the Los Angeles Rams and hampered him in a win over the Arizona Cardinals a week later. It was his toughness and attempt to play through an injury that served as a motivating factor for the Cleveland Browns to move on from him and trade for Deshaun Watson after all.
Maybe Dart can learn from the quarterback on the other sideline Monday night. Patriots second-year signal-caller Drake Maye dealt with a reputation for running too much and being reckless in doing so, and he twice took big hits at different points in the season but didn’t miss any time.
Maye said he learned his lesson after he had to exit against the Los Angeles Chargers on a similar sideline hit as a rookie.
“I think it’s something that’s been across the league that has showed up with quarterbacks near the boundary or near the sideline, just kind of relaxing,” Maye said.
Maye added: “So just be smart and know you’ve almost got to accelerate or get down or do something over there. I think Jaxson, he made some good plays with his feet, so he’s tough to handle.”
Fast-forward a year and Maye has developed into one of the most comfortable-looking pocket-passers in the NFL and entered the Patriots’ bye week as one of the leading candidates to win the 2025 MVP award.
“Everybody’s journey is different,” Dart said. “I’ve known Drake for years and he’s done a great job. He also went through a struggle his first year, too. Everybody’s journey’s different. I’m just trying to do my best to change this franchise around a little bit and do my part. Just got to stay diligent.”
A lot can change in a year, as Maye and New England have proved. How Dart approaches a similar hurdle will determine whether he can actually institute the change he desires within a franchise that desperately needs it.
