Consider New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart a fan of new head coach John Harbaugh.
“What he wants to do is what everybody on this team wants to be about. We’re hungry to win. I couldn’t think of a better coach to play for,” Dart said about Harbaugh in an interview with ESPN.
New York hired Harbaugh in January following his dismissal from the Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons as their head coach. From 2008-25, Harbaugh’s Ravens went a combined 180-113 in the regular season, 13-11 in the postseason and won Super Bowl XLVII.
Harbaugh brought former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator and former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy to the Meadowlands to be the Giants’ offensive coordinator, which has generated excitement for the team’s second-year quarterback.
“I just think that we’re very versatile,” Dart said of the Giants’ new offense. “I think it starts there. The other thing is I just can’t wait for all my boys to be back healthy. I’m excited for the pieces that we’ve brought in that are going to help us a ton. We’re just going to be a physical, violent team, and that goes on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of the ball and special teams. I can’t wait to get out there.”
Dart is coming off a successful rookie season that saw him make 12 starts. Across the dozen starts and 14 appearances that the Ole Miss product made in 2025, he totaled 2,272 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 91.7 passer rating, while completing 63.7% of his passes. Dart also rushed for 487 yards and nine touchdowns.
As for the Giants’ recovering playmakers, star wide receiver Malik Nabers – a Pro Bowler in his 2024 rookie campaign who set the Giants’ single-season record with 109 receptions in 15 games in said year – is working his way back from a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 4 of last season. Meanwhile, running back Cam Skattebo saw his 2025 rookie season end after eight games due to a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula; across eight games, Skattebo rushed for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry, while totaling 24 receptions for 207 yards and two touchdowns.
As for the new “pieces” that Dart is alluding to, the Giants signed former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (three-year, $40 million deal), former Ravens All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard (two-year, $7.6 million deal), former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (one-year, $3 million deal) and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin (one-year, $1.5 million deal), among other offensive pickups. In the 2026 NFL Draft, New York selected Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa at pick No. 10 and traded up to select Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Malachi Fields at pick No. 74.
The Giants are coming off a 4-13 season and have won just 13 games over the last three seasons.
