On Thursday night, all eyes were locked on San Francisco. The Palace of Fine Arts set the stage for the NFL Honors ceremony, where the league’s biggest names took over the red carpet and later filled the hall.
Among them were two New York Giants rookies: quarterback Jaxson Dart and outside linebacker Abdul Carter. Dart was nominated for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, while Carter earned his spot in the race for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
In the end, though, Dart and Carter’s dreams were crushed on the NFL Honors stage.
Jaxson Dart Fell Short Twice
Getty(L-R) Brandon Dart, Kara Dart, Jaxson Dart and Marissa Ayers attended the 15th Annual NFL Honors together.
Earlier in the day, Dart found out he was a runner-up in the voting for the Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year Award, which was claimed by New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough.
Later on, he also came up short in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year race, losing out to Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who dominated with 41 first-place votes and 445 total points.
Coming up empty twice is tough to swallow. Even harsher? Dart received just one first-place vote and a total of 88 points in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year race. He shares 4th place with the New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Ahead of Dart in the voting, Seattle Seahawks guard Grey Zabel finished third with two first-place votes. New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough claimed second place after collecting five first-place votes.
Carter Shines Late, But the Rookie Spotlight Eludes Him
GettyCarter led all rookies with 23 quarterback hits in the 2025 season.
For Abdul Carter, the outcome was even more disappointing. When all was said and done, he was forced to line up behind the other nominees. The Giants linebacker failed to secure a single first-place vote and finished fifth in the voting with 72 total points.
Carter stood out among rookies in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race. He competed with Seattle’s Nick Emmanwori, Falcons’ James Pearce Jr., Browns’ Carson Schwesinger, and Falcons’ Xavier Watts.
In the end, Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger walked away with the award.
Dart and Carter brought serious credentials to the table. Dart racked up 24 total touchdowns in his rookie season. That led all first-year players in 2025. He also smashed a franchise record with nine rushing scores.
Making his NFL debut as a starter in Week 4, the signal-caller didn’t just break in—he set a record as the first rookie quarterback to punch in a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games.
On the other hand, Carter dominated stats but couldn’t break through the voting wall. He recorded 43 total tackles (25 solo), 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and seven tackles for loss in 2025.
Carter was thriving in the last quarter of the 2025 season after the Giants switched coordinators. New York parted ways with Shane Bowen and replaced him with Charlie Bullen.
The two rookies were chasing history, hoping to be the fifth set of teammates ever to take home both Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year in the same year.
Throughout their history, the Giants have produced three AP Rookies of the Year. Lawrence Taylor set the standard on defense in 1981. Years later, the spotlight shone on Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley, who captured Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2014 and 2018.
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