Jaxson Dart is headed to knee surgery and that will end his chances of playing again during the 2026 NFL season.
Multiple reports say, and OutKick has confirmed, that Dart suffered not only MCL damage but also meniscus damage when he took a vicious hit early in the Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Dart also sprained his PCL, but the torn MCL and torn meniscus are the major problems that must be addressed by surgery.
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New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart walks off the field with an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
The only good news in this entire scenario is that Dart did not sustain any damage to his ACL. It is intact, a source said.
Dart and the Giants spent the past day or so seeking multiple medical opinions in search of options that might keep him from missing the entire rest of the season. Ultimately, because surgery is needed, the other options were eliminated.
Bottom line? Dart’s timeline for returning to play following surgery to repair the MCL and meniscus is approximately six to nine months.
What does all this mean?
The New York Giants season has been derailed.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart reacts during a news conference while talking to the media after a loss to the New England Patriots in an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
They won’t say this. The roster is filled with good players, coach John Harbaugh is among the best in the NFL, and he has a very good staff.
But any NFL team that loses its starting quarterback is all but finished for the season. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz to injury and eventually won the Super Bowl during the 2017-18 season.
But Wentz was injured in Week 14. Nick Foles played only three-regular season games and then went on an improbable and outstanding playoff run.
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The Giants face the next 15 games without their starting quarterback. They face those 15 regular-season game with Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback.
Winston has a 36-53 record in the 89 NFL games he has started. The Giants were 0-2 with him starting in place of Dart last season.
The Giants have had internal discussions on finding other quarterback options, according to a league source. But the chances of that conjuring a trade for a starting-caliber star are practically nil.
All ugly facts. But facts nonetheless.
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