Giants QB Jaxson Dart out for 2026 season with knee injury

Jaxson Dart will miss the rest of the 2026 NFL season. The New York Giants quarterback is to undergo surgery on his left knee, according to NFL Network, with a full recovery expected.

An MRI showed damage to the medial collateral ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament and the meniscus. The ACL is intact, and the meniscus is the main concern. Dart, 23, was hurt on the Giants' first drive against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, when his leg bent awkwardly as two defenders hit him after a throw. He walked off under his own power and did not return.

The first diagnosis was lighter. Coach John Harbaugh spoke of an injury in the neighbourhood of an MCL sprain and said Dart had avoided a serious one.

Dart was the 25th pick of the 2025 draft. He opened this season with 230 yards and three touchdowns in the Week 1 win over Dallas, Harbaugh's first game in charge. He missed two games with a concussion last year.

Jameis Winston takes over from Sunday, at home to Tennessee. Against the Rams he completed 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards and threw an interception. He signed a new two-year, $13m contract earlier this month. He is 3-9 in 12 starts since 2024, and the Giants lost both games he started in place of Dart last season. Jake Haener, from the practice squad, is the only other quarterback on the roster to have practised with him this week.

The schedule offers some help: the Giants' next five opponents have a combined record of 2-8.