State of the Giants Address: A Locker Room Divided
An honest look at where the Giants currently stand, ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
The New Jersey Football Giants should be aiming for their first return to the playoffs since 2022. They should be celebrating Odell Beckham Jr’s return ahead of what we all expect to be a farewell tour. They should be excited to have John Harbaugh getting an assist from Sean McDermott for Monday’s practice session. Instead, their focus is split between football and politics. This is an honest look at where the Giants currently stand, ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
My fellow football fans (American and otherwise),
It’s been nearly three weeks since Jaxson Dart introduced President Trump at a Republican Rally in New York. The reaction was predictable. Whether you like President Trump or not, there’s no denying that he’s a polarizing figure. Half the country loves him, half the country hates him. There are very few that are in between, and even less in the NFL. According to VoteHub, only 20% of NFL players were registered Republicans in 2024 (34% Democrat, 43% Independent/Unaffiliated, 2% Third Party). It wasn’t surprising that social media erupted after the first video of Dart introducing President Trump surfaced.
“What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here.” Dart started. “I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump.”
President Trump then took the stage and exchanged a long embrace with Dart. A few words were exchanged into each other’s ears before Dart left the stage, giving the podium to the President. It took only a couple of hours for the public to get a glimpse into the feelings of the Giants’ locker room.
Fellow 2025 First-Round Pick Abdul Carter reposted Dart’s introduction of the President with the caption “Thought this sh!t was AI. What we doin man.”
The reaction to that post was also predictable, as everyone (including myself) gave opinions on the impact Dart’s decision was already having on the Giants’ locker room. Less than 24 hours later, Carter returned to social media with an update. “Me & JD6 (Jaxson Dart) are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Yall can keep yall narratives.”
Between Dart and Carter one thing is clear. They both need to do better in the public relations department. Jaxson Dart’s decision to introduce President Trump was nothing short of idiotic. Given the country’s division and extreme feelings toward this particular president, the association was obviously going to be an issue. Save me the “it’s about the office” nonsense. Given the opportunity, perhaps Dart would have introduced any other president too. But he is clearly fond of President Trump. If he wasn’t, he would have had no problem distancing himself by now. He hasn’t done that.
As for Carter complaining about narratives, there wouldn’t have been any if he hadn’t taken to social media in the first place. There’s no reason he couldn’t have reached out to Dart in private, without posting his thoughts on X.
Carter doubled down in his first media availability session after the incident. “First off, I want to say that some things are bigger than football and this is one of those things.” Carter started. “Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself in what he does, but he represents all of us.”
Carter went on to say “If he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it’s my responsibility based on what I believe and what I stand on to not only show my teammates that I’m against that, but to show the world.”
While I respect and appreciate Carter standing up for his beliefs, I don’t think posting “what we doin man” is as strong of a condemnation as he thinks it is. Even less so after deleting the post.
Since the introduction, President Trump hasn’t done Dart any favors. “He’s a handsome guy. Like a beautiful guy. And a conservative guy.” The President said on My View with Lara Trump. “He said ‘I love you sir’” Trump went on. Just a week later, in The Oval Office, Trump claimed to have spoken with Dart about his views on women’s sports. “I said ‘How do you think you’d do in women’s sports, Jaxson?’ He said, ‘Pretty good, sir,’ He didn’t know I was joking.”
The fallout proved to reach beyond the confines of the locker room, when ABC showed the various celebrities in attendance at Game 4 of the NBA Finals last night, and avoided showing Jaxson Dart in favor of teammate Cam Skattebo. This, just a couple of nights after ABC (ESPN) made a point of showing President Trump’s appearance, highlighting that it was the first time a sitting president attended an NBA Finals Game. For the record, I don’t think Trump attending a basketball game is a very big deal. If the Bulls would have reached the finals during President Obama’s tenure, I wouldn’t have had an issue with him attending a game either.
Here’s the reality for the Giants. Despite the promise Dart showed as a rookie, it’s going to be a tough season in 2026. The NFC East underperformed last year. That’s not going to happen in back-to-back seasons. The Cowboys, Eagles, and Commanders are all going to be hungry to get back to the playoffs after watching three teams from the NFC West make it into the contest in 2025. By the way, that’s the Division they’ll be playing this year. The Defending World Champion Seahawks. The Super Bowl Favorite Rams. And the 49ers who always present problems. Am I missing someone?
(Sorry Cardinals fans. It’s not going to be your year.)
If something is going to pull the Giants forward and out of the new kind of tension in their locker room, it’s going to be leadership. John Harbaugh lived and coached in Baltimore for 17 years. If anybody’s equipped to handle a locker room divided by intense political discourse, it’s him. Throw in personalities like Cam Skattebo, who is expected to be ready for the Week 1 matchup against the Cowboys, and Jameis Winston, who already gave a masterful statement on the political issues - the Giants might be able to escape the dark clouds covering their practice facilities in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Those clouds could return, however, if the Giants get off to a slow start in the looming season. Or if Trump continues to speak so glowingly of Dart.
Thank you for reading this post.
God bless football. And God bless America.
Written by Seattle Mike