ClutchPoints
At CC Sabathia’s LegaCCy Gala to honor his Hall of Fame baseball career and benefit his Pitcch In Foundation, I asked New York Giants legend and current WFAN host Tiki Barber whether the New York Giants should bench Russell Wilson and start rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss. His response on the subject was clear.
“I’ll say what I’ve been saying all week [on WFAN] …He’s not ready yet, this is STILL the Russell Wilson experience, but a couple more weeks of this and we might be changing our tune!”
#Giants legend Tiki Barber on whether #BigBlue should start Jaxson Dart:
“This is STILL the Russell Wilson experience!”#NYG #NFL #JaxsonDart pic.twitter.com/p0Qu2pw38d
— STAT Sports (@STATSports1) September 16, 2025
Of course, it’s important to note that I asked him this question the Monday after the Giants’ Week 1 loss to the Commanders on Sunday, Sept 7.
Wilson, despite a costly late-game interception in overtime, was fantastic for the Giants in their 40-37 Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Jerry World this past weekend.
He finished the day with a very impressive stat line. The 37-year-old Wilson had a career-high 454 passing yards (breaking his previous high of 452), three touchdown passes, and that one interception.
The fans/pundits screaming for the Giants to start the rookie Dart will be silenced, at least for this week.
Big Blue is 0-2 with the following coming up on their schedule:
An important note: Based on combined winning percentages from the 2024 season, the Giants have the toughest schedule in the league. Their opponents went 166-123 last season, good for a .574 winning percentage.
The Giants traded up to the 25th pick of the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Dart, a three-year starter from Ole Miss. The expectation is that, eventually, he could become their franchise QB. The guy to lead the G-Men back to the Super Bowl since Eli Manning beat Tom Brady and the Patriots back in Super Bowl 46.
In March, Big Blue signed Russ to a one-year, $10.5 million deal. You have to figure the Giants didn’t add Russ– a Super Bowl champion that would’ve had back-to-back titles if head coach Pete Carroll decided to run the ball– to their QB room, just to blow the whole thing up after just a few games.
And Dart very likely could benefit from sitting and learning from a proven veteran in Wilson, be it for four weeks, 12 weeks, or even the whole season.
But as Tiki said to me last week, “A couple more weeks of this, and we might be changing our tune.”
Then comes the info from ESPN’s Adam Schefter this past week before the Cowboys game that there [is “no...
