Jaxson Dart's Season-Ending Knee Injury Forces New York Giants to Turn to Jameis Winston

The New York Giants' fears have been realized. Quarterback Jaxson Dart will undergo knee surgery that will end his 2026 season, Giants coach John Harbaugh announced on Wednesday. Harbaugh left the door open for a potential postseason return. According to ESPN, Dart's ACL is intact, but the second-year signal-caller suffered damage to his MCL, PCL, and meniscus. The meniscus is reported to be the main issue.

Dart suffered the injury on the first drive of the night in New York's Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. The former first-round pick was hit by multiple defenders while in the air, and his knee bent awkwardly. Initially, it was thought Dart's injury was not as severe, with reports suggesting he sprained his MCL.

Upon further review of the injury, however, it was worse than initially diagnosed.

Starting 12 games as a rookie after being the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Dart entered this season as the full-time starter, and New York was eyed as a potential breakout team with John Harbaugh as head coach. The club furthered that offseason hype when it defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener. In that game, Dart completed 79.3% of his passes for 230 yards and three passing touchdowns. Now, the 2026 season is viewed through a much different lens.

With him on the shelf, the Giants will likely turn to Jameis Winston as their starter going forward. While coming in under duress on Monday night against the Rams, Winston completed 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards and an interception.

That sharpens the stark contrast in what the play under center has looked like for New York over the last two seasons, with and without Dart.

Giants' performance by starting QB since start of last seasonJaxson DartJameis Winston/Russell Wilson

W-L 5-9 0-5 Team PPG 22.6 19.8 QB TD/TO 27/7 7/6

Over the next month-plus, the Giants will host the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, and then the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 before heading to Washington to face the Commanders (who lost their starter in Jayden Daniels) in Week 5. They'll return to MetLife Stadium for a Week 6 matchup against the Saints, then travel to Houston to face the Texans in Week 6 before their Week 7 bye.