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New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is facing the possibility of season-ending knee surgery after further tests revealed his injury is worse than first feared.
Dart immediately grabbed at his knee after Rams defenders Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart smashed into him while he attempted a pass to tight end Theo Johnson on the opening drive of Monday night's loss to LA.
Initial tests diagnosed Dart with a sprained MCL and it was predicted he could miss around four weeks, but ESPN insider Adam Schefter now reports that additional testing has given the worst news possible.
In a post on X, he wrote: 'Further testing today revealed Giants QB Jaxson Dart's knee injury is worse than initially thought, and the team and Dart now are facing the possibility of season-ending knee surgery, sources tell ESPN.
'Of all the QB injuries suffered in Week 2, Dart's is turning out to easily be the most significant.'
No decision on whether he will go under the knife has yet been made, but it plunges the Giants' season into disarray and hands Jameis Winston the starting role.
Jaxson Dart hobbled off the field after suffering a knee injury on the first drive on Monday
Dart stayed down on the turf and grabbed his knee after a Rams defender smashed into it
Dart returned to the sideline on Monday night and 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.
The team were positive about his chances of returning midway through the season after the initial tests, but now an MRI scan appears to have brought them crashing back down to earth.
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.
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.
