Vikings inadvertently aided Giants-Texans trade regarding Jaxson Dart

The New York Giants finally made a move for a potential franchise quarterback.

Though the outcome of the move remains to be determined, the Giants' decision to trade up in the 2025 NFL Draft for Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart will be under the microscope for years.

After taking Penn State star Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick, general manager Joe Schoen swung a trade with the Houston Texans to move back into the first round at No. 25 overall.

A lot of factors played into the move, but the final piece wound up being the player who came off the board the pick right before by the Minnesota Vikings, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

The Texans had done a lot of work on Ohio State G Donovan Jackson. Whether they were planning to take him at 25 or not is unclear. Either way, after Jackson went 24th to the Minnesota Vikings, dialogue between Schoen and Houston GM Nick Caserio got more serious. With the Texans on the clock, the two were going back and forth on proposals. The Giants put the 99th pick on the table, the comp, presumably, they got for losing Barkley last year. The Texans needed a sweetener, so Schoen threw in next year’s third-round pick.

Had Jackson not gone off the board with the Vikings' selection, there's a strong chance the Texans would have stayed put at No. 25 overall, thus nixing a deal to move the Giants up.

Even with that scenario, it's likely the Giants would have been able to facilitate a move up. The Los Angeles Rams at No. 26 overall would have been a prime target, and they wound up trading back in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

Still, the Giants were able to land their potential franchise quarterback in large part due to the Vikings taking Jackson.

Only time will tell if that turns out to be a positive thing, but the Giants at last have a sense of direction at the game's most important position.