Giants' Jaxson Dart Talks Advice from Eli Manning, Learning from Russell Wilson

New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has received guidance from seasoned veterans, including two-time Giants Super Bowl champion Eli Manning and current Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.

From one New York franchise QB to another, Manning encouraged Dart to embrace everything that comes with playing in the city. Drafted 25th overall out of Ole Miss in the 2025 NFL Draft, Dart follows in the footsteps of Manning, who was selected first overall in 2004.

"One thing he told me early on was to embrace the city, embrace the people, the culture, embrace New Jersey," Dart said per the New York Post's Steve Serby. "Like, it’s cool when you’re able to go out in the street, like I just saw a video of J. Cole riding his bike down the streets. That shows you embrace the people that you’re around, you embrace the whole community, you don’t ever view yourself as higher than anybody else or above anybody, you look at everybody as we’re all the same, especially in God’s eyes. I want to do my best to be an advocate for the community, and then at the same time, I just want to win."

Meanwhile, veteran quarterback Wilson, entering his 13th NFL season, has been mentoring the 22-year-old Dart on how to carry himself as a pro and navigate life in the league.

"A lot in the short time that I’ve been here, which has been really cool because I’m able to see how he handles the huddle," Dart replied when asked what he has learned from Wilson, per Serby. "I’m able to see how he takes command of the offense, his leadership of being involved in each and every play regardless of who’s running what, what responsibility it is, Russ wants it done a certain way, and it’s really cool to see him take ownership of the ship and lead guys that way."

The 15-year age gap between the two teammates isn’t lost on the rookie, who grew up watching Wilson and now finds himself sharing a locker room with someone he once admired from afar.

"We were just out in San Diego for a trip, and the interactions that we have, and just being so positive and guys getting on the same page, that was really cool to see," Dart continued, per Serby. "He’s somebody who I looked up to when I was a kid. I had his jersey back home for a little bit, and I looked in my closet and his jersey’s there when he played with the Seahawks. And to now be in this situation where I can watch him and try to take a lot of things that he excels at, at an elite level, and try to incorporate that into my game, that’s been huge for me."

The duo will open their season on Sept. 7 with a road matchup against the Washington Commanders.