Giants' Eli Manning welcomes Jaxson Dart to New York with heartfelt message (2025)

Since retiring from professional football, Eli Manning has remained a big part of the New York Giants' organization. After the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, few were more excited by the Giants selecting fellow former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart than Manning.

Manning wasted no time welcoming Dart to the Giants franchise and sent the 21-year-old a personalized message that the team shared on social media. Dart became the first former Ole Miss quarterback drafted by the team since Manning, a fact the latter was clearly enthused by.

“Jaxson, congratulations on being drafted by the New York Giants,” Manning said. “Obviously, there's a strong connection between Ole Miss quarterbacks and the Giants, going back to Charlie Conerly. I'm excited that tradition will continue with you. I'm not going to sit here and tell you what a great organization the Giants are; it will not take you long to figure that out yourself. It's been an honor and a lot of fun rooting for you these past three years at Ole Miss and I look forward to rooting for you for the Giants for the next 15 years.”

Since Manning retired in 2019, the Giants have yet to find his successor. New York hoped the answer would be Daniel Jones, but despite six years with the team, he did nothing but frustrate the fan base with turnover woes and inconsistency. After general manager Joe Schoen officially moved on from Jones in 2024, many hoped the team would locate its next signal-caller in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Giants' crowded quarterback room with Jaxson Dart

New York might have found its long-term solution under center with Dart, but it also temporarily crowded the quarterback room. Dart became the fourth quarterback to join the team, joining Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito.

Following the embarrassing end to the 2024 season, the Giants signed Wilson, Winston and DeVito in free agency. While Wilson and DeVito's deals are only one-year contracts, at least one of the four figures to receive walking papers once the team makes its final roster cuts. DeVito figures to draw the short end of the stick with the least experience and fewest career accomplishments of the group.

With Wilson and Winston on the team, Dart figures to spend most of his rookie campaign watching from the sidelines. Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was a key part of the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive staff when Patrick Mahomes spent his entire rookie season learning behind Alex Smith.