Malik Nabers’ season is over.
An MRI confirmed Monday that the Giants’ top receiver tore the ACL in his right knee during the second quarter of Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers. And Nabers posted a photo on Instagram with the words “I’m sorry” and a broken heart.
But future Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald told the Daily News that with perspective — especially in the wake of co-owner John Mara’s cancer diagnosis — Nabers and the Giants will recognize this does not dim the franchise’s long-term outlook on the field.
“I think you just have to take it in stride. As bad as an ACL is, you think about your owner going through cancer. You put it on the scales of relevance of importance,” Fitzgerald said on the Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard podcast. “Malik is 22 years old. He’s a baby. He’s going to heal fast. ACLs, with the advance of surgeries, guys are able to bounce back.
“So it would be a surprise to me if he wouldn’t be ready for training camp to start the season,” Fitzgerald said, appearing on behalf of DraftKings to discuss Responsible Gaming. “It happened so early in the year, and you see Jaxson [Dart] being able to perform the way he was able to. You see about [Cam] Skattebo. You see about that defense and the pass rushers they have, and you get excited about what the future of the Giants is and what they can accomplish. And he’s going to be a large piece of that.”
Nabers, 22, set the Giants’ single-season franchise record with 109 receptions as a rookie last season on an absurd 170 targets. That snapped Steve Smith’s former Giants record of 107 catches in 2009.
His 109 catches are the second-most receptions by any rookie in NFL history behind only fellow 2024 rookie Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (112).
Nabers also racked up 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season. That marked the ninth-highest receiving yardage total in Giants history and the second most for a Giants rookie behind only Odell Beckham Jr. (1,305 yards in 2014).
So his absence will make life way more difficult for the Giants’ offense in the short term.
His second NFL season crashes to an early end with 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns, including a nine-catch, 167-yard, two touchdown explosion in the Giants’ Week 2 overtime loss at Dallas.
“Malik’s one-of-one,” Dart said after Sunday’s win. “So when you have a guy like that on the field, you have all the confidence in the world that he can just be a dominant game-changer.”
But now the Giants have no choice but to pivot and find other solutions as Dart’s top weapons.
That could mean giving 2023 third-round pick Jalin Hyatt an opportunity to fill the void alongside veteran Darius Slayton and 2022 second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson. And veteran Lil’ Jordan Humphrey also could be an option off the practice squad.
Humphrey played plenty with Dart during the preseason and even caught a touchdown pass from Dart in the quarterback’s preseason debut against the Buffalo Bills.
GM Joe Schoen could go outside the building and trade for a receiver, too, if the Giants don’t feel their current options are sufficient. Wideouts like the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill, the Saints’ Chris Olave, the Titans’ Calvin Ridley and the Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers would be options at the right price.
But Fitzgerald said he does not believe the Giants are in a contending position where a blockbuster trade for a new No. 1 receiver would make sense in 2025.
“Do you see and look at the season as if this could be playoff year? You have to be honest and realistic about how you assess it,” Fitzgerald said. “And then you have to take into consideration, ‘Do I want to go out and get a bonafide No. 1, a Calvin Ridley or Chris Olave, who may or may not fit with Malik Nabers once he comes back healthy? You have to think about the dynamics.
“Can you afford that from a cap perspective?” he added. “You have to think about, ‘Is this going to be somebody who’s going to come in and help us win a playoff spot right now?’ And that doesn’t seem realistic, if I’m being honest.”
Giants head coach Brian Daboll called Nabers “a tough loss for our football team” on Monday but did not sound focused on trading for a new receiver, either.
“We’re less than 25, 24 hours or right around there from the game,” Daboll said. “I’m confident in the guys that we have on our football team.”
At the least the Giants (1-3) have hope and optimism about Dart as they prepare to visit the winless New Orleans Saints (0-4) next Sunday.
Even before the Giants beat the Chargers on Sunday, Fitzgerald was talking with his good friend, two-time Giants Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning. And Manning was trash talking the 11-time Pro Bowler, telling them the Giants were on the verge of turning a corner.
“I talked to Eli yesterday, giving him a hard time about the Giants and he told me to shut up,” Fitzgerald said with a laugh. “I love talking to him. He said, ‘You just need to worry about your Cardinals and your quarterback. We’ve got something brewing over here.’ Eli has never been shy about talking trash. He’s always about that.”
That’s how the Giants have to continue thinking without Nabers — positively and with perspective — as they try to overcome the loss of one of their best.
Originally Published: September 29, 2025 at 12:04 PM EDT
