Coming out of the 2025 NFL Draft, there was a lot of speculation about whether the New York Giants stole Jaxson Dart from the Los Angeles Rams when they traded up to No. 25 to take the Ole Miss quarterback. Some believed the Rams liked Dart and would’ve considered taking him in Round 1, but there’s new evidence that proves they weren’t planning to select him at No. 26 overall.
In a new video posted by the Giants, general manager Joe Schoen is seen on the phone with Rams GM Les Snead multiple times, talking about the possibility of swapping picks. In other words, the Rams were looking to move down before they even knew Dart was gone.
“Les, hi, buddy. You still interested in moving back?” Schoen asks Snead while the Chargers are on the clock at No. 22.
We don’t hear Snead’s response, but it’s obvious the Rams were interested in trading down from No. 26 to 34.
Snead then called Schoen again when the Texans were on the clock at No. 25, only for that call to be interrupted by Texans GM Nick Caserio.
“Les, hey, one second here. Hold on a second, Les,” Schoen said, switching to the other line with Caserio.
“Houston will do the deal: 25, Houston gets 34, 99 and next year’s third,” Schoen tells the room.
“Hey, Les. We’re going to move up with Houston here,” Schoen tells Snead after agreeing to the Texans’ deal.
If the Giants didn’t take the Texans’ offer, it’s possible the Rams would’ve traded down with New York instead of the Falcons. Regardless, it shows Los Angeles was planning to trade away from Dart whether he was there at No. 26 or not. The goal was always to move down.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also recently reported that the Rams were “never a major threat” to take a quarterback in the draft despite liking a few of the prospects.