The New York Giants weighed the possibility of selecting Shedeur Sanders over Jaxson Dart in last year's NFL Draft.
The New York Giants landed who many feel is their franchise quarterback in last year's NFL Draft, acquiring an extra first-round pick to select Jaxson Dart.
The Giants' hope was to select Cam Ward, but Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans. New York then took edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3, and it was looking like it would have to punt to 2026 to find its signal-caller of the future.
Clearly, the Giants had other plans.
However, before selecting Dart, there was some deliberation in New York's front office over whether or not he was actually the quarterback the team wanted.
Another named surfaced as a possibility: Shedeur Sanders.
"When those attempts (to land Ward) proved futile as well, the Giants pivoted. Only Dart wasn’t the obvious consolation prize," wrote Connor Hughes of SNY. "There were some internally who favored Shedeur Sanders, sources told SNY. That wasn’t some grotesque assessment, according to sources across the league."
The Giants ultimately took Dart with the 25th overall pick and then watched as Sanders slid all the way to the fifth round, where the Cleveland Browns traded up to nab him.
While the jury is still largely out on Sanders and while it's hard to pin all of the blame on him for his rough rookie campaign (the Browns didn't exactly provide him with a lot of help), it seems like Big Blue made the right choice.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. Credit: Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Dart made 12 starts during his debut season, throwing for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.7 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 487 yards and nine scores on 5.7 yards per carry.
It's important to note that Dart did all of that without top wide receiver Malik Nabers, who suffered a torn ACL three quarters into Dart's first start.
So while Sanders lacked help in Cleveland, it's not exactly like Dart had a star-studded supporting cast at his disposal in New York, either.
Of course, the primary concern for Dart is health. He was evaluated for concussions five times during the 2025 regular season and once in the preseason. He also suffered a concussion midway through the year.
Dart's aggressive play style is something new head coach John Harbaugh will have to curb if he wants Dart to extend his career, so hopefully, the Giants work with Dart in that area throughout this offseason.
But so long as Dart can stay on the field, he appears to have a very bright future in the Big Apple.
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