Stephen A. Smith Makes Case For Giants Trading For Shedeur Sanders After Jaxson Dart’s Injury

Stephen A. Smith urged the Giants to trade for Shedeur Sanders as Jaxson Dart prepares to undergo knee surgery.

Stephen A. Smith Makes Case For Giants Trading For Shedeur Sanders After Jaxson Dart’s Injury

Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders inside the circle (Image via IMAGO)

The New York Giants are looking to add to their quarterback room due to Jaxson Dart’s absence. Jameis Winston is assuming QB1 duties for now.

Dart suffered a knee injury in Week 2 at SoFi Stadium. Winston deputized for the rest of the game. The Giants lost.

Dart is expected to undergo surgery. It will end his season. The responsibility of steadying the Giants’ ship falls to veteran Winston. However, analysts believe that the Giants are too talented to let the year go to waste.

Stephen A. Smith joined the Thursday’s edition of ESPN’s First Take from Maracanã Stadium in Brazil to give his honest take on the Giants quarterback situation. Smith suggested that the Giants should ring the Cleveland Browns and trade for Shedeur Sanders.

If there [was] a possible way they could pull it off, I would tell the Giants to go out and pursue Shedeur [Sanders]. I ain’t gonna lie to you. That would be what was on my mind personally. Let me tell you something about this whole Jameis Winston situation. Yeah, they knew it. They signed him to a $13 million extension… It ain’t about looking for a top 30 quarterback. It’s about looking for a better backup than Jameis Winston.

Stephen A. Smith said

Sanders is currently backing up Deshaun Watson at Cleveland. His chances of replacing Watson skyrocketed with the Browns’ opening-day defeat. But the hype died down after Watson delivered a match-winning performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


Watson is likely to continue under center in the upcoming games because he’s playing the final year of his infamous contract. The Browns owners reportedly want to get the most out of the deal. This means that unless Watson has multiple bad games, he will remain the starter, cutting into Sanders’ game time.

Sanders has two options. He can stay on the bench for the entire year or force a trade. According to Browns head coach Todd Monken, who worked with John Harbaugh at Baltimore, the Ravens were interested in drafting Sanders in 2025. But Sanders declined to be Lamar Jackson’s backup. Harbaugh could rekindle that connection.  

Sanders isn’t the only name floated since Dart picked up the injury. Smith’s ESPN colleague Mike Greenberg urged the Giants to trade for JJ McCarthy, while retired Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho proposed Mac Jones.

Until the Giants find a solution, Winston is ready to steady the ship. It’s not his first rodeo. Previously, he stepped in for the Browns in 2024. He started 7 games, threw 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

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Former Giants head coach weighs in on Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury

The Giants traveled to LA on the back of a massive victory over rivals the Dallas Cowboys. However, Dart hobbled off after a couple of Rams defenders smashed into him. He did not return. Later, the doctors announced that he had suffered serious damage to his MCL and PCL.

Stephen A. Smith Makes Case For Giants Trading For Shedeur Sanders After Jaxson Dart's Injury
Jaxson Dart (Image via IMAGO)

Surgery is required to repair the issue in Dart’s knee. The recovery process will keep him out for the rest of the campaign.

The Giants are on the road against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3. The Titans’ offensive play-caller is Brian Daboll, whom the Giants fired from their head coach position last season. Reporters asked Daboll to give his honest thoughts on Dart’s injury.

It’s tough, it’s always tough… [I] have a very good relationship with him. Obviously, he’s devastated [by] what happened and prayers to him [and] his family- great people. And again, this is, we’re a competitive industry, but we’re in a human industry too, and you build a lot of good relationships.

Brian Daboll said via A to Z Sports’ Easton Freeze

The Giants were linked to selecting Sanders in the first round last year. By the time the draft in Pittsburgh began, the Giants had switched their attention to Dart. Daboll pushed for the team to take Dart 25th overall. Dart shined in Daboll’s system, but wins were hard to come by, leading the Giants to relieve Daboll of his duties.

Dart is 5-9 as the Giants’ starter. He has completed 64.9% of his passes for 2522 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He has also rushed for 541 yards and scored 9 touchdowns.

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