New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart will go under the knife to fix his knee injury, ending the possibility of him returning in the 2026 season.

Dart, 23, was smashed to the ground on the opening drive of the Giants’ loss to the Rams on Monday night, immediately grabbing at his knee before limping off.

He was initially diagnosed with a sprained MCL and it was predicted that he could miss around four weeks, before an MRI test revealed the injury was worse than first thought.

Now, 24 hours on, Giants coach John Harbaugh has confirmed Dart and the team have decided that surgery is the best course of action, ending his season while hopefully ‘leading to a full recovery.’

Harbaugh did not rule out the possibility of Dart returning for the playoffs, if the Giants make it, and also added his team is in the market for a new quarterback. ‘All options are open,’ he said.

Jameis Winston will continue as the Giants’ starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, with their next game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. 

Jaxson Dart and the Giants have decided that knee surgery is the best course of action 

Dart stayed down on the turf and grabbed his knee after a Rams defender smashed into it

After suffering the injury on Monday night, Dart even appeared to be asking to go back into the game against the Rams, only to be turned down by the team’s medical staff. 

Dart is one of six major quarterbacks to have picked up an injury in the first two weeks of the NFL season, alongside the likes of Sam Darnold, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa.

The Giants don’t have a third quarterback on the active roster, but do have 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener in the practice squad if they need to elevate him to back up Winston.

Winston headed into the 2026 season with a new two-year, $13 million contract, off the back of a summer working as a World Cup correspondent for Fox Sports.

Monday was a chastening night for the Giants in California, with a series of injuries and a brutal 28-6 loss at SoFi Stadium.

Dart looked downbeat as he made his way off the field with linebacker Abdul Carter (right)

Giants coach John Harbaugh had initially been told it would likely be weeks, not months

Other than Dart, Malik Nabers and Brian Burns both picked up injuries, and the team was brought crashing back down to earth after their victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.

During that statement win over their NFC East rivals, Dart threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards.

The former Ole Miss signal caller was hoping to take a big leap forward in his second year in the NFL after a promising but injury-plagued rookie year after the Giants drafted him No. 25 overall.

Dart played in 14 games and made 12 starts as a rookie, sustaining a concussion in a Week 10 game against the Bears.

He threw for 2,272 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions and rushed for 487 yards and nine touchdowns.