New Giants OC Matt Nagy explains how QB Jaxson Dart is 'different'

Reports from this past winter revealed that New York Giants quarterback and 2025 rookie Jaxson Dart spoke with members of the Kansas City Chiefs about working with new Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who previously held that job with the Chiefs. While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Nagy discussed what he has learned about Dart since the 2025 scouting combine. "I didn’t know how tough he was and how good a runner he was," Nagy said about Dart, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "At the combine, [the Chiefs] not really being in the quarterback market, watching him, just observing how he handled himself in that group of quarterbacks at the combine, you could see this moxie he had, this 'it' factor. When I got here to New York and started meeting with him, you could tell right away that was true. This kid is different in that way." That toughness and moxie helped make new Giants head coach John Harbaugh a fan of Dart, but it also got the 22-year-old in some trouble during his first pro season. Specifically, Dart was checked for a concussion four times during games from the preseason up until he was knocked out of the Giants' Week 10 loss at the Chicago Bears. Those experiences didn't deter Dart from trying to make plays with his legs once he returned to the lineup, but there may come a time this fall when Harbaugh and Nagy decide that they need to protect Dart from himself. "I was able to watch a decent amount of Jaxson last year when I was in Kansas City," Nagy added about Dart. "We tried to take as little time as possible watching the quarterback position, but every year I will watch just to see the top guys that are there, and I remember coming away impressed with Jaxson and his accuracy." Pro Football Reference shows that Dart finished the 2025 regular season slightly below the league average with a completion percentage of 63.7 percent (216-of-339 attempts). If Nagy can help Dart improve that aspect of his game, the future truly could be quite bright for the Giants. More must-reads: Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!