Jaxson Dart approaching training camp with an eye on preventing another Giants losing season

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — After taking part in John Harbaugh's first training camp practice with the New York Giants last week, Jaxson Dart did not want to make too many premature judgements about the veteran coach's demeanor, which he expects to evolve with time.

One thing the second-year quarterback has picked up over the past several months is Harbaugh's mentality.

“He just wants to, obviously, win,” Dart said. “He's got a chip on his shoulder.”

So does Dart, who chalks it up to his rookie year not going well. The Giants lost eight of his first 12 NFL starts, finished 4-13 and after an offseason of organizational upheaval, he is determined to avoid a repeat losing performance.

That process starts in camp, where this time Dart is the undisputed starter at football's most important position, a long way from taking second- and third-team snaps behind Russell Wilson and sometimes even Jameis Winston a year ago. At 23, he's still young and inexperienced — and leaning into those facts.

“There’s a lot that I’ve got to still learn,” Dart said. “I’m trying to keep everything around me simple: from the things that I give my attention to, to my daily (practice and) study habits. That’s just me trying to continue to grow because I saw what it was like last year for a tough season. It was new for my career, and I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Also new for Dart are incoming offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, QBs coach Brian Callahan and a host of new wide receivers.

With Nagy's arrival comes a system that is different from the one Mike Kafka ran last season while in that job and after taking over as interim coach when Brian Daboll was fired. Such a big change early in Dart's career provides another challenge, though it's one general manager Joe Schoen pointed out that Chicago's Caleb Williams and New England's Drake Maye handled smoothly.

The lack of continuity makes it difficult to handicap expectations, though the Giants have high hopes for Dart regardless of who's calling the plays.

“Just continue to build off of last season," Schoen said. ”He played at a high level throughout last season, so, (we hope to) continue to see him to ascend. Really good staff, really good plan, scheme in place and excited for his Year 2 and how he does."

Dart as a rookie completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 487 yards and nine TDs and took a few big hits along the way — including one that concussed and sidelined him for two games.

Growing every day is how Dart answered a question about what he expects of himself, and that includes better risk-reward decisions that a lot of mobile quarterbacks figure out (or don't) along the way.

With Nagy in charge, it also means more plays under center instead of out of a shotgun formation. That adjustment is ongoing.

"It’s been something that we’ve really pushed and really got a ton of reps at this offseason," Dart said. “There are a few things mechanically that are different. Probably just the biggest thing is a little bit of footwork landmarks in the pocket. (But) I’m feeling really good with the track that we’re on, and I’m feeling comfortable.”

That comfort is slowly building with new wideouts like Odell Beckham Jr., Calvin Austin, Darnell Mooney and JuJu Smith-Schuster. A similar familiarization process is also needed with Malik Nabers, who went down with a torn ACL in his right knee less than one full half into Dart's first start on Sept. 28.

Dart said he and Nabers talked and watched a lot of video over the past few months, which he hopes will help the two establish a strong on-field rapport quickly when New York's No. 1 receiver is fully healthy.

Being the face of the franchise and the leadership responsibilities that come with playing QB also make it incumbent on Dart to interact with teammates everywhere on the roster. His coach likes what he has seen so far in that department.

“He’s a charismatic guy, but he wants to win and he expects everybody else to want to win,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve got a bunch of guys that respond, but also a bunch of guys that feel the same way, so I just think he’s got a good relationship with the guys.”

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New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart greets Odell Beckham Jr. at practice during an NFL football training camp, Friday, July 31, 2026, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart practices during an NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart practices during an NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart practices during an NFL football training camp, Friday, July 31, 2026, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Canada’s second largest airline, WestJet, has agreed to a tentative agreement with flight attendants to end a strike that led to hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of stranded passengers over the weekend.

The union representing the flight attendants said Monday that if the deal is ratified, the work that flight attendants do before flights take off will be recognized.

The union, CUPE 8125, said that flight attendants will be returning to work now that the strike is over. The tentative agreement still faces a ratification vote.

WestJet canceled 495 flights Sunday, snarling travel plans in Canada in the middle of a long holiday weekend.

A key issue in the dispute was how flight attendants should be paid for duties performed while still on the ground. The union said some of that work is unpaid, while the company said that staff was indeed compensated, citing pay through a “credit hour” system rather than an hourly rate.

“This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress,” CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain said in a statement. “It evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents the 4,400 cabin crew at the airline.

The deal comes after 250,000 travelers had their trips canceled, according to WestJet. Some struggled to find accommodations while they were stranded away from home, and others were left unable to reschedule flights.

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism of our cabin crew,” WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a statement. “We know this disruption has been frustrating for our guests and WestJetters and we’re sorry for that. Our teams are working hard to restore service and get our guests on their way to their destinations as quickly as possible and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we get back to normal.”

Before the strike began, WestJet had made a proposal that included a 13% wage increase in October, increases of 2.5% each January for the next three years, retroactive wage payment to last January, additional pay for all hours worked, and upgrades to other benefits, according to WestJet. Hussain had said that although negotiators tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal, what the airline proposed didn’t go far enough.

Hussain said at a news conference in Calgary on Monday that the proposed deal addresses the issue of duties performed on the ground.

John Gradek, a faculty lecturer on aviation management at McGill University in Montreal, said that with the federal government watching and hundreds of thousands of passengers already affected by the dispute, both sides felt the urgency to get a deal done.

“There was a lot of pressure,” Gradek said. “The Sword of Damocles was hanging over them. They had to basically cut a deal, otherwise the wrath both of Canadians as well as the government would be a very difficult cross to bear.”

Whether the agreement gets ratified depends on if the union membership is satisfied with what was reached on the work flight attendants do before takeoff, he said.

He expects it will take until Wednesday for WestJet to have all its planes and flights back. The airline will then face the huge backlog of passengers affected by the dispute.

Last summer, flight attendants at Air Canada, the country’s largest carrier, stranded more than 100,000 travelers during peak travel season with a strike partly over the same issue of unpaid groundwork. That work stoppage lasted three days before the sides came to an agreement.

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AP reporters Jim Morris and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

WestJet flights are pictured cancelled on an information board at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

A traveller looks to an information board as WestJet flights are cancelled at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

A traveller tries to check in for a cancelled WestJet flight at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

WestJet flight attendants strike at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)