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Jaxson Dart, John Harbaugh ready to run through brick walls for each other

JAXSON-DART-JOHN-HARBAUGH

The Quest Diagnostics Training Center is currently being renovated literally and figuratively.

And it's not just because Jaxson Dart and John Harbaugh have been running through brick walls for each other.

Harbaugh, whose 18-year run in Baltimore included 193 victories and a Super Bowl championship, had his pick of teams when he unexpectedly became available at the end of the season. As he surveyed the landscape, the quarterback situation of his suitors was near the top of his priority list. It always is for any head coach of his stature.

Harbaugh liked what he saw when he got to No. 6.

"He got me fired up," Harbaugh said about conversations with Dart before he took the job. "I was the same way. I was ready to run through a brick wall after I talked to him. So, let's all be like that."

Dart, while appearing on media row at Super Bowl LX this week, said he is ready to do the same.

"Coach Harbs, we had conversations even before he even had the job and he's just somebody who instills a relentless mindset from an organization [standpoint], from a team standpoint," Dart said on NFL Network. "So, I think as a competitor that's exactly what you want to be in. He has a ton of respect from everybody that's been around him league-wide. He's a coach that you can really look up to as a man of faith and just as a man in general of who he is as an individual and leader of men. I can't want to get at it."

Dart is in San Francisco for the "NFL Honors" awards show, which airs Thursday (9 p.m. ET on NBC and NFL Network, with streaming available on Peacock and NFL+) from the Palace of Fine Arts.

Dart is a finalist for Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. His defensive counterpart, Abdul Carter, is also a nominee on the other side of the ball.

"A lot of us are going to be players who make a ton of plays in this league for a really long time," Dart said of his fellow finalists. "It's an exciting time, and I'm honored to be a part of it."

Dart led all rookies with 24 total touchdowns, but 2025 didn't come without its adversity. Brian Daboll, his head coach, was dismissed 10 games into the season. Meanwhile, Cam Skattebo and Malik Nabers, his close friends and top playmakers, were sidelined for most of the year due to serious injuries.

"This past year, I feel like it was like three years into one," Dart said. "It was just kind of a whirlwind of things that you go through from one thing to the next."

Dart made sure to give a shoutout to Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, who shed their wisdom on how to get through the tough times.

"I think the biggest lesson I learned was just patience and just being able to weather storms of adversity," Dart said.

The frigid winter will turn to spring in East Rutherford, where players will report back sometime in April. Eventually, Dart will get on the field again with Nabers, who broke the franchise's single-season reception record as a rookie only to see his sophomore campaign end in Week 4.

It was the home game against the Chargers where Dart made his first start and Nabers tore his ACL.

"Leek's a dawg, just in simple terms to describe him," Dart said. "He's somebody who just has a huge chip on his shoulder, and I think he's the best receiver in the league. So, when he gets out there rolling, I can't wait to get him that rock and watch him just go ball and be back in the game that he loves. I know these injuries, it takes a big toll on us and especially him just because of the competitor [he is] and how much he loves this game. I know that when he gets back out there, he's going to be a huge difference-maker for us and he's going to be so special. I can't wait to get him that rock for sure."

View photos of the Giants' rookie class throughout the 2025 season.

Screenshot 2025-08-01 at 3.36.49 PM

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