Giants Reportedly Prevent Jaxson Dart from Speaking to Media After Loss to Commanders

The New York Giants reportedly barred their rookie quarterback from speaking to the media following Sunday's loss to the Washington Commanders.

Per NJ.com's Darryl Slater, first-round pick Jaxson Dart was willing to speak to reporters after the game, but a Giants spokesperson refused to let Dart speak to the media.

Slater noted that New York has not made Dart or backup quarterback Jameis Winston available to the media despite a long-standing league protocol granting reporters access to interviews with players.

Slater also noted that the Giants did not make Dart or Winston available to the media at all last week.

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The Giants' refusal to make Dart available comes after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that New York had prepared a package of plays for Dart against the Commanders, leading to speculation about whether the young quarterback could replace Wilson at some point.

Dart ultimately did not make his debut on Sunday, and the Giants stuck with Wilson, who threw for 168 yards on 17-of-37 passing, adding 44 yards on the ground as New York lost 21-6.

After a mediocre performance, head coach Brian Daboll did not commit to Wilson starting Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, though he said Sunday's loss was not because of his quarterback.

"I've got confidence in Russ," Daboll said, per Slater. "So we're going to go back, and we'll evaluate the tape. This game isn't on Russell Wilson. It's not on Russell Wilson. I'm going to make that clear. We've got to do a better job all the way around."

While both Wilson and Winston are veterans in the NFL, Dart has shown promise early on in his New York tenure. In three preseason outings, he completed 32 of 47 passes for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, adding six carries for 52 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Whether Dart will get reps in a real game soon remains to be seen. The Giants have tough games ahead against the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, so it's hard to imagine Daboll will throw the rookie into the fire against one of those opponents, but a Week 5 matchup against the New Orleans Saints could be a good time to let Dart show what he can do.