Jaxson Dart Knee Surgery: Giants Turn to Jameis Winston

The New York Giants will finish the regular season without their starting quarterback. Coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that Jaxson Dart will miss the rest of the 2026 regular season and undergo left knee surgery, with Jameis Winston named the starter beginning Sunday against the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium.

The Jaxson Dart knee surgery Giants storyline is a clear Week 3 search spike: a second-year quarterback sidelined, a veteran starter installed, and a home date with an 0-2 Titans team. Medical specifics beyond the club’s confirmation are attributed carefully to ESPN reporting.

Harbaugh confirms regular-season outlook and Winston start

Per Giants.com and ESPN, Harbaugh told reporters after practice that Dart is done for the regular season and that Winston will start. Surgery on the left knee is planned. An ESPN source described the timing as “relatively soon.” Harbaugh declined to give an exact date.

New York is 1-1. The Titans are 0-2. Kickoff is listed for 1 p.m. Sunday at MetLife on the club site. Winston signed a two-year extension five days before the season, per Giants.com, which frames him as the prepared next man up rather than a short-term emergency signing.

How the injury happened Monday night

Dart was hurt on the opening drive of Monday night’s game at SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Rams, after roughly his seventh snap. Coverage describes a hit by Byron Young that drove him into Josaiah Stewart. Dart completed 3 of 5 passes for 20 yards before exiting. Imaging on Tuesday was worse than initially hoped, according to reporting that led into Wednesday’s confirmation.

Winston finished the Rams game 11 of 27 for 111 yards with one interception. Giants.com also notes the Rams recorded eight quarterback hits and 10 pass breakups in that contest. The relief line helps explain why the club is already talking about adding another quarterback while naming practice-squad Jake Haener as the emergency option.

What ESPN’s Schefter and Rapoport reported on the knee

Club language centers on left knee surgery and a regular-season absence. Finer medical detail comes from ESPN citing Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport: the ACL is intact; damage to the meniscus and MCL requires surgery; Schefter also reported PCL damage; the recovery timeline is about six months; the club expects full readiness for 2027.

Those points are reportorial, not a team medical release. LiveNewsWorld attributes them to Schefter, Rapoport, and ESPN rather than stating them as independent diagnoses. Harbaugh did not fully close the door on a playoff return, saying it depends on the recovery. ESPN coverage has described a playoff comeback as optimistic. That door remains uncertain, not a promise.

Depth chart and Sunday’s stakes

Winston has started for the Giants before, including two 2025 games when Dart was out with a concussion. Giants.com’s career snapshot lists 109 games, 89 starts, 24,903 passing yards, 156 touchdowns, and 114 interceptions, a light experience context for the Week 3 start rather than a prediction.

Dart’s Week 1 explosion against the Cowboys (23 of 29, 230 yards, three touchdowns, 54 rushing yards per Giants.com) is useful background for why losing the starter lands hard. It does not invent draft or contract implications.

Harbaugh’s staff is exploring adding another quarterback via free agency, the practice squad, or trade, with “all options open” and nothing completed in confirmed reporting. Separately, Schefter reported that edge Brian Burns is likely out versus the Titans with a low ankle sprain.

What is confirmed, and what is not

Confirmed: Dart out for the rest of the regular season; left knee surgery planned; Winston starter vs Titans Sunday at MetLife; Giants 1-1, Titans 0-2, 1 p.m. kickoff per Giants.com; injury Monday night at the Rams on the opening drive; Dart 3/5 for 20 yards before exit; Winston 11/27, 111 yards, 1 INT in relief; ACL intact / meniscus+MCL surgery / PCL damage / about a six-month recovery / 2027 readiness per ESPN Schefter/Rapoport; playoff return uncertain per Harbaugh wording; Winston’s recent two-year extension per Giants.com.

Not confirmed: exact surgery date; a realistic playoff return; a completed quarterback acquisition; long-term career endings; insurance or draft conclusions.

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Bottom line

Jaxson Dart’s regular season is over after a left knee injury that will require surgery. Jameis Winston takes the Week 3 start against Tennessee. The medical timeline stays attributed to ESPN’s Schefter and Rapoport, and any playoff return stays framed as uncertain.