Giants QB Jaxson Dart checked for concussion before throwing TD pass in preseason opener

Here we go again?

Second-year New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart briefly exited Saturday’s 13-10 preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter to be examined for a concussion.

Fortunately for the young QB and his team, Dart was quickly cleared after taking a huge hit on a sack by Vikings safety Jay Ward, returning three plays later and immediately connecting on a 15-yard touchdown pass with rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields.

Smoked ’em @JWARD_4

: #NYGvsMIN @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/tMecUP4kUt

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 15, 2026

Dart later told Giants coach John Harbaugh that he only had the wind knocked out of him. Harbaugh said he had no reservations about putting Dart back into the game.

Dart finished Saturday’s game having played 14 snaps, going 3-of-4 passing for 26 yards and a touchdown with two sacks.

When asked during the game about his visit to the medical tent by the local TV broadcast, Dart sort of shook his head and smirked before saying, “I’m not going to talk too much about the tent.”

Harbaugh also wasn’t concerned about his QB’s health when asked after the game about the feelings he had after seeing Dart go into the tent.

“My feelings in that moment was, we need to block better,” said Harbaugh, who later added that he was a little surprised Dart was sent to the tent. “Their job is to err on the side of player safety, so I can’t argue with that, either.”

Concussions checks have been an all-too-frequent occurrence for Dart during his short NFL career. Including the preseason last year, Dart was examined for a concussion on five separate occasions. He was a diagnosed just once, during the Giants’ Week 10 loss to the Bears, and he missed the following two games.

Dart was often defiant last season when discussing how often he’d been checked for concussions and his aggressive style of play. Dart would regularly say that he’s not going to shy away from contact and would continue to play football on his terms.

“I’m going to keep playing aggressive,” Dart said last December. “Hopefully, everybody can take a second to watch my tape going back to high school and realize that this is not a shock. … I appreciate people wanting me to be healthy and all that stuff, and I want to be healthy too, but I play this game aggressively. So, I’m not just going to change how I play the game.”

In the offseason, however, Dart seemed to soften his stance a little bit telling fans at the team’s annual Town Hall, “The most important thing that I learned is I got to be on the field. … But at the same time if it’s third down, fourth down, they’re standing my way, I’m gonna go right through them.”

During a recent practice, Giants defenders applauded Dart after the quarterback scrambled and then slid near the sideline rather than embracing contract from a defender.

“Yeah, we’ve been begging him to do that for a while now, so I’m glad that he’s starting to practice it,” edge rusher Brian Burns said with a laugh.

To be fair to Dart, the big hit he took Saturday didn’t come as a result of his aggressive nature. The quarterback was sacked by a defender he didn’t see coming. Still, it’s at least a little concerning for the Giants and their fans that the franchise quarterback has so often found himself in the blue medical tent early in his career.