Jaxson Dart addressed some of his teammates this week about the quarterback’s controversial decision to introduce Donald Trump on stage last weekend.
The consequences of Dart’s actions remain to be seen as John Harbaugh’s Giants continues working through OTAs toward training camp and the 2026 regular season.
Edge rusher Abdul Carter, the teammate who publicly called out Dart after the QB introduced Trump at a rally in New York, reportedly was not in attendance for Dart’s team meeting due to a pre-planned absence for a Muslim holiday.
Carter’s absence was not mentioned in the NFL Network report that had claimed the Giants were “moving forward” from the topic, so it’s hard to know what that language means. Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Jameis Winston reportedly spoke at the meeting, too.
The Giants flooded Thursday’s national news cycle with messages about how the players had “worked to put it behind them” and “do not think this is something is problematic.”
An ESPN report also said one of the topics discussed was about “keeping things ‘internal’ and not airing frustrations publicly,” which is ironic, since Dart was free to take his own stand publicly alongside Trump and since there were multiple leaks about the contents of the Giants’ meeting to the media.
The Giants’ next open OTA practice is Friday. Coach John Harbaugh is scheduled to speak, and some players will do interviews at the podium, as well. The Giants tried to preempt any reporters’ inquiries with the team’s version of the story that the Giants are moving on.
But is the team speaking for every player in that locker room when it says the Giants have moved on, especially when not every player was in that room?
It will be worth monitoring throughout the spring, summer and fall, beginning on Friday, when Harbaugh will address the matter publicly for the first time.
GIANTS GO BACK TO RAVENS — AGAIN
The Giants’ thin numbers on the defensive line prompted them to sign former Ravens nose tackle Josh Tupou this week. They waived offensive tackle Reid Holskey to make room.
Tupou, 32, appeared in six total games for Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens the past two seasons. The 6-3, 350-pound veteran defensive tackle had one sack, eight tackles and a quarterback hit in that span. He played six seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals before that.
He is one of several former Ravens that Harbaugh has brought with him to New York, a group headlined by tight end Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard and punter Jordan Stout.
The Giants worked out veteran Eddie Goldman, 32, who retired temporarily in 2022-23 and played last season for the Washington Commanders, before signing Tupou.
Defensive tackle is a major concern for Harbaugh’s Giants.
They traded their best player, Dexter Lawrence, from that position group to the Bengals after he demanded to be shipped out of town. Then veteran Roy Robertson-Harris tore his Achilles in practice last week.
On top of that, new veteran free agent signings DJ Reader and Shelby Harris were not in attendance at last week’s open OTA practice. So the Giants were thin on numbers and talent at the position for practice, let alone games.
That’s despite signing those Reader, Harris and Lei Fotu, claiming Zacch Pickens off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs, drafting Auburn’s Bobby Jamison-Travis in the sixth round and signing undrafted rookies Anquin Barnes Jr. (Colorado) and Ben Barten (Wisconsin).
THOMAS RESTRUCTURES CONTRACT
Left tackle Andrew Thomas agreed to a small restructure of his contract that freed up $6.46 million of salary cap space for the team. Thomas, 27, drafted No. 4 overall by Dave Gettleman and Joe Judge in 2020, converted his base salary to a roster bonus to make the space. The bookend tackle is signed through the 2029 season with a 2030 void year tacked on to the end of his deal. He has been limited and held out of team drills during the spring for precautionary reasons due to shoulder and foot issues he’s managing, but Thomas is not concerned about his availability for the regular season.
REESE IS LAST MAN STANDING
First-round offensive lineman Francis ‘Sisi’ Mauigoa signed his rookie contract, meaning only fellow first-round pick Arvell Reese remains unsigned from the Giants’ 2026 draft class. It is not uncommon for rookies to remain unsigned deep into the spring or early summer as the sides negotiate guarantee payout schedules, though. It would only be an issue if it impacted Reese’s training camp attendance. Reese has been participating in spring rookie minicamp and OTAs, though, so there is no reason for concern there at this time.
