Jaxson Dart constantly being in physical distress cant be a Giants formula

CHICAGO — Jaxson Dart has a sense of history.Get texts from Paul Schwartz with all the latest Giants news and insights, exclusive to Sports+ subscribers.

He spent time this past week expressing his excitement about playing in a relic venue, Soldier Field, against a “traditional organization” such as the Bears.He recounted how when he was younger — he is just 22, keep in mind — he was impressed with the “elite defenses” one of the oldest franchises in the NFL regularly put on the field.Dart also mentioned that the Bears were on his radar because he is a product of the same program in Utah — Roy High School — as Jim McMahon, the wild and carefree former Bears quarterback and Super Bowl winner.Hmm.

Dart has a connection with McMahon.Is that why he always wears a headband under his helmet, to copy McMahon’s famous — and sometimes infamous — headwear accessory?“No,” Dart said.Then he smiled and shrugged.

“It keeps the hair out of my face.”What we are learning is that Dart is his own guy.He has enlivened a fan base tired and weary of losing, but he has been unable to lift a team tired and weary of losing out of the doldrums.Dart is 2-4 as a starter, and the Giants take a three-game losing streak into what is expected to be a cold and wet afternoon for all concerned.Dart at least makes the Giants worth watching, as he is assured of being on the scene in 2026, unlike his head coach, Brian Daboll, and Joe Schoen, the general manager who engineered the bold trade to get him with the 25th-overall pick in the 2025 draft.What is not assured is Dart’s health and well-being.

He plays as if every game could be his final game and throws his body around as if on every snap a trip to the championship is at stake.At the conclusion of last week’s 34-24 loss to the 49ers, Dart sat on the bench, slumped over, looking as if he was in physical distress.

Shea Tierney, the quarterbacks coach, put his arm around Dart.“It’s a football game,” Dar...