Can new Giants starting QB Jaxson Dart crash NFL's OROY award race? Latest odds suggest he's got a shot

It's a new day in New York, and it's headlined by a new quarterback coming under center for the Giants. On Tuesday, the club named first-round rookie Jaxson Dart its starter going forward, and will make his first start as QB1 on Sunday when the club hosts the Los Angeles Chargers. The Ole Miss product ascends the depth chart following the team's 0-3 start to begin the year with veteran Russell Wilson under center. 

Naturally, this is a seismic moment for the organization, but one that was expected at some point. After all, the Giants traded back into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Dart at No. 25 overall, and that sort of investment made it inevitable that he'll see the field in a starting capacity sooner rather than later. And now that time has come. 

As the Giants embark on this new era, it's fair to wonder what's in store for Dart and the organization as a whole. The upcoming schedule isn't particularly kind for New York, but could Dart play well enough to earn himself consideration for Offensive Rookie of the Year? 

With the Giants turning to him this early in the season, he may have a puncher's chance. From a sheer playing-time perspective, there is precedent for Dart to win this award despite missing the first three weeks. 

Back in 2004 (Under a 16-game schedule), Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger appeared in 14 games (13 starts) during his Offensive Rookie of the Year-winning season. If Dart plays the rest of the season, he'd log 14 starts. Of course, it's worth noting that Big Ben went 13-0 in those starts in his rookie season, which Dart seems unlikely to do. Still, he now has time to put a large enough résumé together to at least be considered. 

Back in the summer, as Dart was enjoying a lights-out preseason, he was still +2700 to win OROY at FanDuel Sportsbook, given that he was earmarked for a backup role. Just before word got out that Dart was being named the starter (roughly 12 p.m. ET on Sept. 23), here's where Dart's OROY odds stood: 

• FanDuel Sportsbook: +1200
• DraftKings Sportsbook: +2000
• Fanatics Sportsbook: +1500
• BetMGM: +1200

And now that Dart has officially been named New York's starter, here's how the odds have shifted (as of 12:55 p.m. ET on Sept. 23): 

• FanDuel Sportsbook: +750
• DraftKings Sportsbook: +850
• Fanatics Sportsbook: +750
• BetMGM: +875

Here's a deeper view of the top favorites for Offensive Rookie of the Year (via FanDuel Sportsbook). 

As you can see above, Dart has rocketed up the board and is now tied in a crowded group for the third-highest odds to win OROY. What Dart has going for him is the positional bias. Folks hold the quarterback position so highly that it's not only a tiebreaker, but it can leap you over other players at lesser-impact positions with more prolific seasons. If Dart can right the ship in New York, he'll have a great case. 

However, as we referenced, the schedule does him no favors in this effort. Coming out of Week 3, New York has the second-toughest remaining schedule in the NFL, and their next five weeks go as follows: vs. Chargers, at Saints, vs. Eagles, at Broncos, at Eagles. Woof. 

As exciting as Dart's call up to the starting role is, it's hard to see him be so hot out of the gate that he propels himself to an OROY campaign, particularly against this Giants schedule. 

Here are the first five games of the Dart era and what he'll be up against:

• Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
• Week 5: at New Orleans Saints
• Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (on a short week)
• Week 7: at Denver Broncos
• Week 8: at Eagles