Jaxson Dart still has some ground to cover before becoming a household name. He turned in a solid rookie campaign in 2025, throwing for 2,272 yards and 15 touchdowns across 14 games, but even after all of that, his name still isn’t widely recognised. At a recent Giants team event, a globally known rugby star failed to put a name to his face.
On the April 14 episode of her podcast, House of Maher, Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher shared a funny story, to which her sister responded, “If anyone needs a lawyer to come humble somebody, let her know.”
Ilona Maher went on to recall her first interaction with Jaxson Dart, admitting she had no idea at the time that he was the New York Giants’ quarterback.
“When I was at the Super Bowl, I went to this party, and there were a lot of football players from the Giants there. There’s this one guy. He’s blonde. He’s an attractive guy, young-looking. And I’m like, hey, what’s up, man? He’s like, hey. I’m like, so you play football? He’s like, yeah. I was like, “That’s awesome, man.”
She went on to add, “I asked him which team he plays for. He’s like the Giants. I was like, sweet, man. That’s really cool, man. I was like, “What position are you? He’s like, I’m the quarterback. I’m like, oh, it was Jaxson Dart. No idea. But he knew who I was.”
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Maher’s friend, Kasey McCravey, who joined her at the party, pulled a similar move on Jameis Winston, another Giants quarterback. She reportedly walked right up to him and asked, “Do you know ball?”
Maher recalled that the interaction was hilarious and that Winston simply looked at her and walked away.
As for the interaction between Ilona Maher and Jaxson Dart, being unrecognized at his own team’s reunion party likely gave the Giants star a reality check. This kind of moment can really be humbling.
Moving into the 2026 season, this encounter could go one of two ways. He might use it as motivation to play so well that everyone knows his name next time. Or he might have just shrugged it off, assuming Maher simply doesn’t follow football.
Since Dart hasn’t made a public statement yet, we’re left wondering if he’s using the event as extra motivation or if he’s already forgotten it happened. Well, we can only find out once the 2026 Super Bowl season begins.
That moment aside, the Giants have been busy making key moves behind the scenes.
Giants add backup QB for Jaxson Dart
The New York Giants are working hard to improve their team for the 2026 season. After signing several new players recently, they just added veteran quarterback Brandon Allen to the roster. This move happened right before the upcoming NFL Draft to make sure the team has enough experienced players at that position.
The main reason the Giants signed Allen is that he has worked with the team’s quarterbacks coach, Brian Callahan, many times before. They were together last year in Tennessee and spent three years together in Cincinnati. Because they know each other so well, Allen already understands the system and can help the other players learn it faster.
This signing is also important because the Giants’ starting quarterback, Jaxson Dart, had a few injury scares last season. Though Dart isn’t afraid of injuries, the team needs to keep him safe if they want him to play for a long time.
By bringing in Allen, the team now has two solid backups, including Jameis Winston. While Allen will likely be the third-string choice, he provides a safety net in case anyone gets hurt. It will surely be interesting to see how the additions to the 53-man roster unfold.
