Jaxson Dart is now in the NFL as a first-round quarterback. He has a tall task ahead, helping to reverse a team trajectory that has been trending down in recent seasons.
That said, he has at least one Super Bowl-winning quarterback in his corner. Dart went into deep detail about his relationship with Eli Manning over the years and what it’s like to have his advice.
What Jaxson Dart Said About Eli Manning’s Hall of Fame Chances
Speaking in an interview published by Sports Illustrated on May 21, Dart explained how long he has known Manning and what he hopes to get from their continued relationship.
“Eli has been a huge role model for me,” Dart said. “Even before I got to Ole Miss, being able to watch him beat Tom [Brady] twice [in the Super Bowl] was incredible. … We had a few different things that we ran together [at Ole Miss], and then any time I had a question, I could reach out to him, and I knew he was going to be there for me.”
“And then carrying that now with the Giants, he’s living right down the road, and he’s been great making sure that I know I have him in my corner, and if I have questions, that I can continue to ask. I think that’s a huge asset, because we’ve built such a genuine connection and time. He’s done it. He’s going to be a Hall of Famer. He’s also around the facility all the time. It’s great to have him and continue to grow this relationship,” he added.
Manning has also given his side on what it’s been like to speak with Dart.
The New York Giants are getting a dynamic player in Jaxson Dart.
Legendary QB Eli Manning discussed his relationship with the Giants first-round pick: pic.twitter.com/KFD4OyejAC
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio)
“Seems like a great kid,” Manning said in an April 24 interview posted to X by Matt DeGregorio of WLOX ABC and CBS.
Of course, the Giants quarterback has the luxury of not being the quarterback tasked with taking his job like Daniel Jones. Any awkward situations Jones may have had to deal with are apparently completely out of the equation for the Dart era.
Dart Tasked With Ending Giants’ Ongoing Slide to Being Winless in 2025
When the 2024 season ended, the Giants were in a dark place. They were without a quarterback, taking heat for letting Saquon Barkley out the door, and above all, their statistical production was far below average.
Offensively, the Giants finished 31st in PFSN’s Offense+ metrics. Defensively, New York finished 20th in Defense+ metrics by PFSN.
While those metrics left plenty of room for concern, the big picture was even more troubling. The Giants have won three fewer games every season since they peaked at 9-7-1 in the Jones era in 2022.
They slipped to 6-11 in 2023 and 3-14 in 2024. If the trend doesn’t get reversed this season, the Giants will slip to be the first winless team in the 17-game era of the NFL.