Big Blue View
Mark Schlereth is getting the attention his hot take sought, but he’s wrong about what would be best for Dart
File this in the “wild offseason hot take aimed at getting attention — which it is getting — that is not going to happen.”
NFL analyst Mark Schlereth believes the Giants “rip off the Band-Aid,” cut Russell Wilson, and start Jaxson Dart from Week 1 of the 2025 season.
“The Giants should cut Russell Wilson and start Jaxson Dart ... I think it’s just time to rip off the Band-Aid and say Jaxson Dart you’re our guy.”
Schlereth compared the situation to the Denver Broncos moving on from Wilson, drafting Bo Nix, and making the playoffs a season ago.
We know this is not going to happen.
I don’t think the situation is comparable to Denver. The Broncos, specifically head coach Sean Payton, did not want Wilson as the quarterback he tried to build around. The Broncos released him in March of 2024, then drafted Nix a few weeks later.
The Giants, with a mandate from John Mara, stating that acquiring a quarterback of the future was the biggest priority of the offseason, seemingly always intended to select a quarterback early in the draft, if possible.
The Giants signed Wilson and Jameis Winston specifically so that they would not have to put a rookie quarterback in the scenario Schlereth is clamoring for.
In head coach Brian Daboll’s estimation, Dart had an “excellent” spring. That doesn’t mean he was perfect. Dart was up and down performance-wise. There were great throws and poor ones, and perhaps some hesitation in the pocket when he might have been unsure what he was seeing.
Did he give anyone a reason to think starting him Day 1 was the best way to handle his career development? Not from this vantage point.
Veteran NFL Draft analyst Matt Waldman, who specializes in offensive skill positions, and highly-regarded quarterback coach Jordan Palmer, both believe the Giants have a quarterback room and situation that will benefit Dart’s career.
Both say Wilson’s presence will be good for Dart.
“Russell Wilson’s a lot of things, but two things come to mind when I think of Russell,” Palmer said. “One, he’s a winner. In a world of stats I don’t care about he’s got a relevant stat. His first eight years in the NFL he won more games than anybody. How often do you win? That’s a good one.”
The second thing?
“The second thing about Russell Wilson that’s just true whether you like him or not is he is a pro,” Palmer said. “He approaches his offseason, his body, his mental and emotional state, his throwing mechanics. He’s all-in all the time.
“Jaxson’s going to be in the room with Brian Daboll and a guy who’s a winner and conducts himself at an elite professional level.”
Here is Waldman before the Giants drafted Dart:
“It’s a good quarterback room for a young quarterback,” Waldman said. “Even...
