3x Super Bowl champ details why Giants should start Jaxson Dart over Russell Wilson from Day 1 of 2025 NFL season
The New York Giants restocked their quarterback room during the first month and a half of the new league year following Daniel Jones' departure. They signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, then traded up on Day 1 of the draft to select Jaxson Dart.
For former three-time Super Bowl-winning guard Mark Schlereth, however, there is only one viable answer to who should start in Week 1 — and it’s not either veteran. Speaking on Monday’s episode of his podcast, "The Stinkin’ Truth," he said:
"What if the young kid comes in, plays better than expected, they lean on that defense. You start winning some games, maybe that has a better chance of saving your job than saying, let's play Russell Wilson until the bye week, and then move on like everybody does. Then move on to Jaxson Dart."
Former running back Rashad Jennings, however, has a different opinion. Speaking on "Good Morning Football" last week, he vouched for the Giants to lean toward Wilson:
“You bring in Jaxson Dart... You want to develop him so much that you actually have somebody there for him. Jameis Winston--he is the morale of the locker room, the positive energy, the voice, the veteran that that will these guys how to become pros, while who is doing the work? That is Russell Wilson... So I think you have to start with Russ.”
Russell Wilson speaks up on meshing with Giants
Speaking of Russell Wilson, he appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter last week to discuss how well he’s meshing with his new teammates (starts at 0:54 in the video below):
“We are having a good time in phase two (of the offseason program), about to go into phase three (OTAs), and the only way to win a bunch of games is to focus right now... We’re looking forward to the opportunity of playing, we are looking forward to the opportunity of competing against all these really good teams.”
He also shared his thoughts on the difficulty of the team’s 2025 schedule (from 4:17):
“I think the opportunity in front of us is a tough, uphill battle, but at the end of the day, we’re willing to climb it, we’re willing to face all the challenges, and for me personally, I’ve been in some tough divisions before, I don’t fear it.”
The Giants kick off their 2025 season with consecutive road games in Washington and Dallas. Their home opener is in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs.