New York Giants' rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart sounded off about his aggressive style of play after the team's Week 13 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday.
The New York Giants were unable to come away with the victory on Monday night against the New England Patriots, but the team’s rookie quarterback, Jaxson Dart, had another impressive game in Week 13.
Dart finished the night completing 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 139 yards and one touchdown, while also picking up 20 rushing yards on four carries. On a baseline level, his performance was terrific, but there is one lingering issue for the star gunslinger that occurred on Monday.
During the team’s second drive of the contest, Dart took a massive hit from linebacker Christian Ellis while scrambling for a 12-yard gain.
This has been a common issue for the rookie quarterback, as his aggressive style of play has been well-documented since his college days. However, when asked about his aggressive style of play after the game, Dart indicated that he will not change his style of play.
“This is football,” Dart stated. “I’m going to get hit if I’m in the pocket or outside the pocket. I've played this way my entire life. This shouldn’t be any shocker to anybody if you’ve followed [me] along my career. We’re not playing soccer out here; you are going to get hit. Things happen, and that’s part of the game.”
Dart would also go on to say that the first-quarter hit “did not hurt” and it did not hold him back from potentially scrambling with the ball for the rest of the game.
After general manager Joe Schoen selected linebacker Abdul Carter with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the front office ultimately decided to trade back into the first round and take Dart with the No. 25 pick.
It was clear that the Giants needed a reset at the quarterback position once the organization released former 2019 first-round pick Daniel Jones towards the end of the 2024 season.
Luckily for the struggling franchise, Dart has shown signs of becoming an excellent quarterback at the NFL level as a rookie, throwing for 1,556 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 63.6 percent of his attempts in 2025.
In addition to his efforts through the air, the former Ole Miss standout has racked up 337 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this year on the ground.
Unfortunately, Dart’s reckless style of play has caused him to miss multiple games this year after sustaining two concussions. The 22-year-old quarterback missed the team’s last two games prior to Week 13, making his aggressive mindset a concern for the Giants, who see him as a franchise quarterback.