Don’t try to be like Patrick Mahomes

Of course Matt Nagy has already brought it up with Jaxson Dart.

How could he not?

You work with the greatest quarterback in the NFL, you are going to share all you know about him with the youngster you are now tasked with tutoring.

So yes, Nagy has mentioned Patrick Mahomes to Dart.

The main message the new Giants offensive coordinator conveyed to the second-year Dart?

“He’s Jaxson Dart,” Nagy said. “He’s not Patrick Mahomes.”

Nagy, 47, has an extensive body of work with Mahomes. Nagy was on Andy Reid’s staff as Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2017 when Mahomes was a rookie. Nagy, after three years as Bears head coach, returned to Kansas City in 2022, reunited with Mahomes and found him to be a finished product.

Nagy will make sure he clues in Dart to everything about Mahomes that could be of help.

“We can use that for more, like, routines and maybe how we did things,” said Nagy, John Harbaugh’s choice to run the Giants offense. “First of all, I know how much respect that Jaxson has for Patrick. We’ve talked a little bit about the process and what he’s been through, but we’ve also made it clear, you have to be Jaxson Dart. He’s going to do that.”

When working for the Chiefs, scouting college quarterbacks is not much of a priority but the position cannot be ignored entirely. Nagy said when he took a look at Dart at Ole Miss, he was impressed with his accuracy as a passer.

“Back then, a year ago or two years ago, I didn’t know how tough he was and how good of a runner he was,” Nagy said Tuesday as the Giants opened up their offseason workout program. “He was a really good, sneaky good runner, tough, physical, played the quarterback position well. You could see he was a competitor.”

There was something else Nagy noticed when he watched how Dart carried himself at the scouting combine prior to the 2025 draft.

“Just kind of observing how he handled himself in that group of guys,” Nagy said. “You could see this moxie that he had, and he had this ‘it’ factor.

“When I got here to New York and got to meet him and started talking to him, you could tell right away that everything was true. This kid is different that way. My initial conversation with Coach Harbs was, hey, excited, really looking forward to being able to help out in many ways and building that relationship and that trust. I know he had a great year last year, but we want to make it even better and continue to have him grow, and I want to be there to help him.”

Harbaugh could not hide his excitement at finally getting the chance to get up in front of the room and speak with his new team. He called it “a great meeting,” and, “It was just a joy to be around the guys.”

After 18 years as the head coach of the Ravens, this was a new experience for the 63-year old Harbaugh.

“It was an honor,” he said. “I told them that. It was an honor to stand before the New York Giants, have them communicate back.”

Harbaugh said three players were not in the building on the first day of the voluntary workouts: NT Dexter Lawrence (requested a trade), CB Paulson Adebo and DL Sam Roberts. Harbaugh said Roberts had surgery and was not yet able to travel.

As for Adebo, Harbaugh said, “I’m not exactly sure. But it’s his right. It’s his reason, whatever his reason is. I’ll be interested to hear it. But it is what it is. It’s OK.”