Jaxson Dart loses good luck charm as diamond necklace his sister gave him ripped off on play

Jaxson Dart has endured a rollercoaster rookie season under center for the New York Giants.

In the Giants’ Week 16 clash against J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings, Dart endured a slugfest.

Getty

Toward the end of the third quarter, Dart’s diamond chain broke off his neck. He picked it up off the ground and tossed it to the sideline.

Luckily for the QB, the necklace isn’t made of real diamonds.

It carries far more meaning for Dart than the style and bling it boasts, becoming a game-day staple and a constant reminder of his close relationship with his sister.

Its sentimental value far outweighs its monetary value.

“I haven’t missed a game with it. I make sure it’s one of the first things that I pack,” Dart told CBS.

The piece didn’t come from a jeweler or a high-end purchase. Instead, it has roots at home and came into his possession almost by accident.

“I remember I was walking out the door, and I was just grabbing my headphones, whatever it may be on the table, and I saw this necklace,” Dart said. “I looked at it and I was like, dang, I like that necklace. I asked my mom, I said, ‘Whose is it?’ And she’s like it’s your sister’s.”

Dart took the necklace and wore it in college and hasn’t taken it off since, until today when it unfortunately snapped.

“I try to do my best to adjust it if it’s kind of messed up when I come back on the sideline,” Dart said. “It’s definitely held its own because I’ve taken a lot of hits.”

The necklace’s worth lies in sentiment, not stones.

“It’s definitely very valuable to me, because like I said, it’s a relationship thing between me and my sister,” Dart said.

Rocky rookie season in the Big Apple

Dart was drafted by the Giants with the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and was the second quarterback taken in the draft behind only that of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward to the Tennessee Titans.

With New York having signed both Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston on short-term deals in the offseason, it looked initially as though the rookie out of Ole Miss would spend much of his debut campaign behind a plethora of elite-level experience.

But, after 36-year-old Wilson suffered a torrid start to his first season in a Big Blue uniform, going 0-3, then-head coach Brian Daboll benched him in favor of Dart.

The 22-year-old’s first start came in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, in which he completed 13-of-20 passing for 111 yards and a touchdown, whilst he also ran in the end zone for a score of his own in a 21-18 victory.

The future appeared to look bright in the Big Apple with a young offensive core beginning to take shape in Dart, star wideout Malik Nabers, and rookie running back Cam Skattebo.

But in the contest against the Chargers, the MetLife Stadium turf claimed its next victim in Nabers, who suffered a torn ACL.

Skattebo would last just eight games in the backfield for the G-Men before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in a 38-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, while Dart has been assessed for a concussion on five separate occasions across the season.

New York’s troubles only grew when the front office ultimately decided to make changes, beginning with the firing of Daboll, and promoting offensive coordinator Mike Kafka in the interim.

A top pick awaits them in next year’s draft.

A sub-par class is headlined by 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, but the Giants will likely look to use their pick to build around Dart.

After all, he looks to have been handed the keys to the franchise.

Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.