09/25/2026
We’re a huge fan of Matt Stafford and have been since this time at Georgia. Remembering how his career started reminds us of how Jaxson dart is starting out his career:
What is darts ceiling? Will the Giants be happy with a Matthew Stafford level career? Will they trade him before he wins the Super Bowl?
**Stafford (2009–2011) vs. Dart (2025–now), side-by-side**
**Draft**
- Stafford: 2009, 1st round, 1st overall, Detroit Lions
- Dart: 2025, 1st round, 25th overall, New York Giants
**Year 1**
- Stafford: 61.0 rating, 2,267 yds, 13 TD, 20 INT in 10 games
- Dart: 14 games / 12 starts, 63.7%, 2,272 yds, 15 TD, 5 INT, plus 487 rush yds and 9 rush TD
**Year 1 injuries**
- Stafford: missed two games with a dislocated right kneecap, then played two games on a separated left shoulder and sat the final four. The Browns game-winner came on that shoulder: 5 TD passes, first rookie to do it since 1937.
- Dart: checked for concussions five times, one diagnosed concussion that cost two games.
**Year 2**
- Stafford: Week 1 Grade 2 AC separation of his throwing shoulder on a Julius Peppers sack, out six weeks, then reinjured it vs the Jets. Only three starts and one full game in 2010. Dr. James Andrews did AC joint repair plus clavicle shaving, ending his season.
- Dart: opened hot, 79.3%, 230 yds, 3 TD in the Week 1 win over Dallas. Week 2 at the Rams, torn MCL and meniscus plus PCL sprain. The ACL is intact, but the season is expected to be over. Timeline is about 6–9 months.
**What came next for Stafford**
- 2011: 5,038 yds, started all games, Lions' first playoff trip in over a decade, Comeback Player of the Year.
- Then 136 straight regular-season starts through 2018.
**Bottom line:** Dart's statistical start is clearly better than Stafford's: same yardage, a quarter of the picks, and a rushing game. The injury arc rhymes, though: two lost seasons out of three, with the second one ended by surgery in Year 2. The difference is the risk profile. Stafford's injuries were shoulder and knee, fixed by one surgery. Dart's are a concussion history plus a multi-ligament knee, and his running style drives both. There's also the irony that Stafford's Rams are the team that ended Dart's year.
Sources:
- [Yahoo – Dart surgery](https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/breaking-news/article/giants-qb-jaxson-dart-will-reportedly-have-knee-surgery-ending-his-2026-season-160117944.html)
- [OutKick – Dart MCL/meniscus](https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/jaxson-dart-tore-mcl-meniscus-require-surgery-ends-2026-season-new-york-giants)
- [CBS – Dart](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/jaxson-dart-knee-surgery-end-giants-qbs-2026-season/)
- [NBC News – Dart](https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nfl/giants-quarterback-jaxson-dart-undergo-season-ending-knee-surgery-repo-rcna599430)
- [Yahoo – Dart concussion checks](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jaxson-dart-puzzled-concussion-tests-011250951.html)
- [NFL.com – Stafford 2010](https://www.nfl.com/news/lions-qb-stafford-reportedly-has-season-ending-shoulder-injury-09000d5d81bfb3a1)
- [DraftSharks – Stafford injuries](https://www.draftsharks.com/article/matthew-stafford-injury-analysis)
- [ESPN – Stafford comeback award](https://www.espn.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/38191/matthew-stafford-wins-comeback-award)
- [ESPN – Stafford 2009 Browns game](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39281370/los-angeles-rams-matthew-stafford-detroit-lions-return)
- [StatMuse – Stafford rookie stats](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/matttew-stafford-rookie-season-stats)
- [Wikipedia – Dart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaxson_Dart)
- [Wikipedia – Stafford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Stafford)
John Matthew Stafford[2] (born February 7, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, receiving first-team All-American honors in 2008, and was selected first overall by t...
