Donald Trump named the New England Patriots, the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams when asked to pick a Super Bowl contender in an ESPN interview with Laura Rutledge at his Patriot Games event in Geneva, Ohio on August 11.
“I think New England looks good, I think the Giants, I like their quarterback a lot,” the president told Rutledge.
He then flagged the Rams before pulling himself back.
“They say the LA Rams are looking very strong. But I better not get into this too much, I’m going to get myself in trouble if I do.”
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The Giants quarterback he singled out is Jaxson Dart, who took the starting job from Russell Wilson in Week 4 of last season and now enters his second year as the face of a rebuilt New York roster under new head coach John Harbaugh.
The bookmakers rank them differently
The market puts Trump’s three picks nowhere near each other. Heading into Week 1, DraftKings priced the Rams as Super Bowl LXI favorites at +550, New England at +1600 and the Giants at +7000, roughly a 70-to-1 shot to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February.
Only the Rams sit at the top of the board. New England’s shorter number reflects real second-year progress under Mike Vrabel after losing Super Bowl LX to Seattle in February. The Giants trade largely on hope in Dart and Harbaugh, hired to reverse three losing seasons at MetLife Stadium.
Dart is a breakout pick, not a Super Bowl favorite
Analysts share the president’s interest in Dart without matching his ceiling. Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab named him a top breakout candidate for the 2026 season, and Dart himself has told reporters he feels ready for the step up.
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“I feel so much better. I feel in command. I feel confident,” Dart said ahead of the opener.
Harbaugh, in his first year in New York after leaving the Baltimore Ravens, has been more measured on his quarterback’s progress.
“He’s running the whole show. So, I think he’s come a long way,” Harbaugh said, adding that “the next test will be game time, and we’ll see how he does.”
The 23-year-old’s rookie year gives Harbaugh some numbers to build on. In 14 games and 12 starts in 2025, Dart threw for 2,272 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions on 63.7 percent passing, and added 487 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
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Kickoff on Sunday night against Dallas
Dart’s first live audition for Trump’s endorsement comes almost immediately. The Giants host the Dallas Cowboys in a prime-time home opener on Sunday, September 13, with kickoff set for 8:20pm local time on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
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