New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged on Wednesday that his starting quarterback, Jaxson Dart, will miss the remainder of the 2026 regular season with a knee injury.
"It's a big loss for sure. I mean, it’s your starting quarterback. It's a tough loss." Harbaugh told reporters, leaving open the possibility of a playoff return. "Regular season at least, I'd say. Other than that, how do you know? There's no way to know; it just depends on the recovery. You can't pinpoint it exactly."
Both NFL Network and ESPN report that Dart suffered "damage to his left MCL, PCL, and meniscus, with the latter being the main issue." NFL Network's Mike Garafolo also reported that "the timeline for a meniscus repair is four to six months."
How is Dart
taking the news? According to Harbaugh, it's a mixed bag.
"He was in the meeting this morning," Harbaugh said. "I think he's determined. He's bummed. It's hard. The season's not over, but it is for him. And we kind of talked about that too, that was part of it. That was part of the deal; it's like injuries -- there's a certain mourning that takes place. We had the same thing for Calvin (Austin III), and even over the years -- because you realize how hard it is for the player, really. But it's tough on the team; it's tough on all of us. But as we said, you wake up, and you feel like it's the end of the world. Then you wake up, and the world's not done. The world keeps spinning. The games keep getting played.
"Nobody feels sorry for you. It's time to go play the next game. Sunday at one o'clock, the ball's going to get kicked off, and we're going to have to be the best football team we can be. And that's the thing, it's not a one-man game. Not like tennis, you don't forfeit. We're going to have our team out there. The Giants are going to roll out into that field out there and play the football game. And we need to be the best Giants we can be. And that's really the message that you have."
Harbaugh was asked if Dart formally addressed the team in the meeting.
"No, he didn't. I know he talked to the guys, though. He's talking to the guys," added Harbaugh. "Some of the guys had mentioned the locker room. They were doing what they do in the locker room and hanging out and all that. So, it was, I think, pretty normal interactions that way."
One player Dart has spoken to is backup quarterback Jameis Winston, who has acted as his mentor since he arrived as a rookie last spring.
"Me and Jaxson have talked. It's pretty fresh, so I'm going to keep on lifting him up," Winston told reporters after practice on Wednesday. "He's a warrior. He's in good spirits. He's, again, focusing on what he would love, and that's healing. And all of us are going to just wrap our arms around him and lift him up. There's not much that you can say in this moment, but it's actions of what we do and how we support him in this time."
The Giants don't have too much time to hang their heads. There is a game Sunday afternoon to be played. Winston will be under center and, as Harbaugh said, life will go on.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants leave open possibility of playoff return for Jaxson Dart
