Giants' Mike Kafka Reacts to Jaxson Dart's Comments About Concussion Tests

After the New York Giants lost to the Washington Commanders, rookie QB Jaxson Dart said he was confused why he was taken out of the game and evaluated for a concussion in the fourth quarter. 

Dart has been forced to leave a game to be checked for a concussion five times this season.

Here's what Giants head coach Mike Kafka said about the situation: "I think the intent really behind, whether it's the referees, whether it's the medical people up top, it's all in the intent to help player safety and make sure these guys are healthy and they're not getting banged up and dinged up. So, I think it's one thing that the league has really made a big emphasis of.

"I think in Jaxson's particular case, I think they're hypersensitive to just quarterbacks in general. I think they're hypersensitive to especially if you have been a repeat guy and have had a previous concussion, they're going to be sensitive to it. So, it's kind of out of my hands. It's kind of in the hands of the professionals to make those decisions and the refs, if they feel like that's something that happens.

"Obviously you never want to have your starting quarterback have to get pulled out of a game for a hit, but it's all with the right intentions in terms of player safety. It's kind of where we're at in the league right now and hopefully as we get going, those things don't have to pop up as much because obviously you don't want to be pulling guys out if they're not injured. But I understand the intent behind it and I understand the reasoning behind it."

Dart missed two plays against the Commanders before getting cleared to return. He threw an incompletion into the end zone on fourth down.

The Giants lost to the Commanders by a final score of 29-21. Dart finished the game 20-36 through the air for 246 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball nine times for 63 yards.

"I thought he did a nice job. He slid a few times, like you said," Kafka said. "In terms of out in the field scrambling, it's not like he's taking guys head on anymore. He's picking an edge and at least picking a soft edge and trying to get himself down and protect the ball, which is most important, protect himself as well. I thought he did a nice job this week doing that."

The Giants will have a high pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they won't have to draft a QB since Dart has played well as a rookie. The Ole Miss product has 1,802 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, 400 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on the season.