New Giants draftee Jaxson Dart looked to be in good spirits at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday after learning of his team’s plan to sit him in 2025.
Dart, the No. 25 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, will begin the year sitting behind veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winton, and GM Joe Schoen intimated this week that the Ole Miss product wouldn’t be seeing the field in 2025 unless there are injuries.
‘… Jaxson’s going to come in, he’s got to learn the offense. There’s a lot to learn,’ he told SiriusXM NFL Radio. ‘These NFL offenses are hard to grasp and pick up and then be able to go out and execute, so the ability for him to learn and sit behind two consummate pros already will be beneficial for him.’
While that was always likely to be the plan after the Giants signed both Wilson and Winston in free agency (Wilson has been called the starter by head coach Brian Daboll), Dart nonetheless enjoyed his time at Churchill Downs as he posed with teammate Wan’Dale Robinson.
The wide receiver posted a pH๏τo of the pair to his Instagram story, as Dart dressed for the occasion in a blue plaid suit, clear glᴀsses and a salmon-colored top hat.
The Giants also re-posted the pH๏τo to their X account, writing: ‘Kentucky Derby Boys.’
Jaxson Dart is expected to sit the entirety of his 2025 NFL rookie season after being drafted
But Dart was in good spirits over the weekend as he took in the Kentucky Derby with Wan’Dale Robinson
In speaking about the plan for Dart’s rookie year, Schoen – formerly the ᴀssistant GM of the Bills – compared New York’s approach to when Buffalo drafted Josh Allen in 2018.
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‘We’ve been through this, we went through it with Josh Allen,’ Schoen said. ‘We had a little bit different quarterback room at the time, but he was going to sit his rookie year and then halftime of the opening game we’re getting smoked by Baltimore, so we put him in and the rest was history.’
As Schoen noted, the team did not have veterans of Wilson and Winston’s caliber but instead Nathan Peterman and AJ McCaron, the latter of whom was traded before the season started.
Peterman completed just 5 of 18 pᴀsses in Week 1 and the team soon turned the keys over to Allen.
.@Giants GM Joe Schoen discussed the plan for QB Jaxson Dart during his rookie season in New York…📻 | #NYGiants | @BobPapa_NFL | @LegerDouzable pic.twitter.com/rvw8NumQPC
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) April 30, 2025 
GM Joe Schoen detailed his plan for Dart to sit behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston
Barring an injury crisis, though, it seems unlikely that Dart will see the field anytime soon.
‘Injuries occur. We’ve played seven quarterbacks over the last two years, so he’s going to have to prepare like he’s going to have to play,’ Schoen said.
‘So again you want him to come in, develop a routine, learn how to be a pro, learn how to study the game, and then if his number’s called and he has to go out and execute, he’s going to need to be ready.’
The NFL has not yet released its schedules for all 32 teams, though the Giants are confirmed to be hosting the Chiefs, Packers and Vikings, with trips to Detroit and Chicago also on the horizon.
