EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart spoke “at length” with coach John Harbaugh during the team’s courtship with the Super Bowl XLVII winner, including several times on the phone. Then they had a lengthy sit-down during Harbaugh’s interview Jan. 14.
Harbaugh, who agreed to a deal by the end of that day and signed to be the Giants head coach by the weekend, was the top choice for Dart and his teammates.
“When Coach Harbaugh’s name came up, that was the one that we were all really, really excited about and wanted to have,” Dart said during an interview with ESPN while on a family vacation. “So I think from just our standpoint, the guys just can’t wait to play for him and have the chance to get coached by him.”
Harbaugh was fired Jan. 6 after 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. It was a welcome surprise to Dart that he became available. The move allowed the Giants to pair the proven veteran coach with the talented young quarterback.
“Winning,” Dart said of his expectations of working with Harbaugh. “A whole lot of winning. That’s it.”
Harbaugh embraced the lofty expectations during his introductory news conference Tuesday, noting that the goal is to earn the right to be called world champions in New York.
Dart is a major reason Harbaugh thinks it’s possible and a key factor in why he came to the Giants after doing extensive evaluations of all the quarterbacks from the teams with coaching openings.
“The quarterback is kind of important. That’s kind of a big deal,” Harbaugh said. “I’m excited about Jaxson Dart. … I like the way he plays. I like his talent, skill set, all the things he’s accomplished, but more than that, I like who he is and what he’s about. To me, he’s about football.”
Dart was equally impressed. Their face-to-face meeting during Harbaugh’s interview at the team facility was going so well that it had to be broken up because it was running too long. One source indicated that the conversation lasted almost two hours.
Harbaugh’s track record setting up the right environment for a quarterback’s development is strong. He oversaw the development of Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson during his time in Baltimore. That’s more than enough reason for Dart to be excited, in addition to the fact that Harbaugh’s teams reached the playoffs in 12 of 18 seasons and won a Super Bowl.
“Obviously, just from a football standpoint, [he has] the ability to create teams year in and year out who have a chance to compete at the highest level regardless of maybe the talent that they had one year versus the next,” Dart said. “He’s always put his team in really good situations to win. So that’s a coach that I really want to play for. And as a man as well.”
Dart said he hasn’t yet spoken to Jackson, Baltimore’s two-time MVP-winning quarterback. He did speak to former Giants and Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who offered rave reviews after spending the 2023 season in Baltimore.
The Giants quarterback, who was announced Thursday as a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year, was overwhelmed that Harbaugh was so enamored with his game. Dart accounted for 24 total touchdowns and seven turnovers in his rookie season.
“Yeah, I mean, that says a lot,” Dart said. “That says a lot just because you want to play for a coach who has confidence in you.”
Harbaugh has been busy the past few days trying to assemble his staff for the Giants. The belief is that he wants to bring Todd Monken along with him from Baltimore as the offensive coordinator to work with Dart, assuming Monken isn’t hired as the Cleveland Browns‘ head coach.
Dart said he has been involved in “a lot of communication” about the coaching search although he’s technically still a rookie and nobody is asking him who to hire.
If they did, Harbaugh would have been his definitive answer as head coach, and his meetings with the new hire only validated that belief.
“He was just a coach who I feel like I just bought into the things that he was saying immediately, and just the way that he carries himself and can conduct himself in front of a room and his track record is incredible,” Dart said. “So immediately the winning culture, the intensity, and then just the enthusiasm and love about football, that’s what he carries and brings to the team. So, just can’t wait to get started and get rolling with him.”
