Jaxson Dart says Mike Kafka is mentoring him like he mentored Patrick Mahomes

Jaxson Dart told The Post on Thursday that Giants quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka is mentoring him the way he once mentored Patrick Mahomes, a comparison the rookie drew as he prepared for Sunday night’s game against Kansas City. Dart, a first‑round pick this year, said he has leaned on Kafka since they first met during the draft process.

Kafka’s path with Mahomes serves as a reference point for the quarterback‑development approach Dart is experiencing in New York. Mahomes, the 2017 draft’s 10th overall pick out of Texas Tech, largely sat behind veteran Alex Smith in his rookie season, throwing for 284 yards in his lone appearance late in the regular season. Kafka was on the Chiefs staff during that period and was later promoted to quarterbacks coach before moving to the Giants as offensive coordinator in 2022. The Chiefs’ organizational emphasis on patient development and a steady rise to prominence under Kafka’s guidance became a talking point for Dart as he charts his own NFL timeline.

“That was one of my first questions when I met [Kafka] in this whole draft process, what it was like in his development with Pat,” Dart said. “Those are things that I’ve been discussing with [Kafka] since the first time I ever met him. He did a great job with that, and I think he saw — and I think Pat would say it, too — having a big jump from having that time to learn.”

Dart described Kafka’s approach as patient and learning‑focused: study defenses, manage protections, and build comfort in the pocket before chasing big plays. The plan, he said, is to translate that development arc into real game action as he grows with the Giants. The upcoming Sunday night game against the Chiefs presents a high‑profile stage to gauge how quickly Dart can apply the lessons from Kafka’s mentoring under a familiar opponent.

The broader context of Kafka’s coaching lineage matters to Dart’s mindset. Mahomes’s ascent — from a limited rookie season to league MVP by his second year and a Super Bowl championship by his fourth — is often cited as a blueprint for how patience and structured growth can pay off. Dart’s comments highlight a shared aspiration within the Giants’ quarterback room: to maximize the time spent learning before expanding the on‑field responsibilities that determine a young passer’s early trajectory. As the Chiefs arrive in town, the scene is set not only for a matchup of teams but for a practical demonstration of Kafka’s developmental philosophy playing out with a new pupil in Dart.