Former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart made an instant impression in the big league and has been recognized for his production on the gridiron. The New York Giants signal-caller is up for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year following a strong debut campaign.
A panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from the Associated Press will assess five rookies, one being Dart, to determine which is worthy of being recognized as the top performer of the 2025 draft class. Joining Dart in the running for the award are Emeka Egbuka (Tampa Bay wide receiver), TreVeyon Henderson (New England running back), Tetairoa McMillan (Carolina wide receiver), and Tyler Shough (New Orleans quarterback).
Dart, a first-round draft selection from Ole Miss, made his first start in week four after former Giants frontman Brian Daboll benched veteran Russell Wilson amid an 0-3 start. The rookie field general led New York to its first win of the season, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 21-18. The remainder of the season did not play out on a positive note, as the Giants finished the year with a 4-13 overall record, but Dart gave fans a glimmer of hope for the future.
The dual-threat quarterback ended his first season with 24 total touchdowns, including a franchise-record nine rushing scores. The No. 25 overall draft pick trails only former Ole Miss great Charlie Conerly and Daniel Jones for the most total touchdowns in Giants history by a rookie quarterback.
Dart’s nine rushing touchdowns surpassed reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen for the second-most by a rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era, trailing only former MVP and Super Bowl contender Cam Newton, who had 14 in 2011. Dart also became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to record a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games.
In addition to the AP award, Dart is also up for the fan-vote-determined 2025 Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year Award. Votes can be submitted here.
Award winners will be announced at the 15th annual “NFL Honors” on Thursday, Feb. 5, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The ceremony will air on NBC and NFL Network at 8 p.m. CT.