Jaxson Dart Linked to $5.3B NFL Franchise as Giants’ Sudden Plan Shift Makes Aaron Rodgers’ Backup Buzz Bite the Dust

Jaxson Dart, a player who stayed loyal for the Ole Miss Rebels till the last, improving season after season and providing us those incredible moments to remember. Yet, success with a silverware perspective has remained elusive. However, in the time Dart remained at Ole Miss, seasons undoubtedly improved as they had a 10-3 finish in 2024 and an impressive 11-2 finish in 2023, which saw them steamrolling Penn State in the Peach Bowl. Now comes the hard part. Jaxson Dart parted ways with the rebels and is looking to make his name in the upcoming draft.

Dart joined the NFL Combine to do just that. He completed 18 of his 23 passes and showcased why he deserves to sit at the top spot. Draft experts have since been busy accommodating him in the first round after he was touted to be a later-round pick. Steelers, the $5.3 billion valued NFL Franchise, were making the headlines to land the player, and even its insiders had touted Dart to be their preferred pick. According to the latest revealtions, the Steelers have resurfaced again and are looking to get Dart’s services. A prominent NFL draft handle on X, ‘Sleeper NFL,’ shared the news and provided the whole scenario.

“Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart “could be in play” with the 21st overall pick for the Steelers, per@Jordan_Reid. Or, Pittsburgh could wait until the 3rd round and select someone like Tyler Shough or Jalen Milroe“. The Steelers are one of the many teams in dire need of a quarterback. They had Justin Fields and Russel Wilson as their potential players. But Fields has since signed for the New York Jets, landing a $20 million deal. Wilson still remains available, but they still need a quarterback to make the long-term transition. But can they realistically land Dart?

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart “could be in play” with the 21st overall pick for the Steelers, per @Jordan_Reid

Or, Pittsburgh could wait until the 3rd round and select someone like Tyler Shough or Jalen Milroe pic.twitter.com/y1SBh3KsMN

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) March 16, 2025

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Well, the Steelers have the 21st pick in the first round, and chances are that Jaxson Dart won’t be picked by other teams till then. Players like Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders sure wouldn’t be available till then, and Jaxson Dart remains the only solid option left at that spot. However, that doesn’t mean that Dart would quickly take the field in his initial years. It is expected that the Steelers will go for a veteran quarterback to enable that smooth transition. Russel Wilson looks like that veteran, although the Steelers would still need to make a go for another veteran (if they couldn’t take back Wilson), too. But why Jaxson Dart?

Well, Dart is someone who had massive improvement in his game over the years. In the last season, the player produced 4,279 yards at a 69% completion rate, scoring 29 touchdowns. His rushing prowess is also quite impressive as he ran for 495 yards last season and scored 3 touchdowns, too. So, he will be a solid dual-threat option for the Steelers. Also, the quarterback class of 2025 isn’t that impressive and many have already labeled it to be too ‘weak’ to consider a massive difference between a QB like Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart.

New York Giants lose the race for Jaxson Dart?

The news will essentially come as a surprise for the New York Giants who were vying for the quarterback as a backup for their veteran QB they were going to sign. That veteran quarterback was widely touted to be Aaron Rodgers, but there were other names, too, like Joe Flacco and Russel Wilson. So, taking Dart in later rounds as their backup quarterback for the long term would have made sense. The two parties even met at the recent Senior Bowl and also at the NFL Combine. Jaxson even had words of praise for the franchise.

” “Yeah, that’s been great. Coach (Brian) Daboll is somebody who brings a ton of energy anytime you step into a room, and that whole coaching staff, you know, I had a ton of experience working with them at the Senior Bowl, meeting with them, and then especially here, you know, being able to sit and talk ball again. So, uh, it’s been a lot of fun. They’re great people, and at the same time, they’re great coaches,”.

However, now that the Steelers are coming into the picture, it seems there would be no Jaxson Dart to take in later rounds if they take the player in their 21st pick. This would essentially mean the Giants going for less popular options like Kyle McCord of Syracuse, Jalen Milroe of Alabama, or Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. While these players aren’t that bad an option, losing on their quarterback whom they were after for so long will surely hurt.