The New York Giants have found their Jaxson Dart contingency contingency plan, and it’s a name they know all too well.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Big Blue is acquiring quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick. The move comes just one week after Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Los Angeles Rams, leaving the G-Men scrambling to figure out what life without their starting quarterback looks like.
Apparently, it looks like McCarthy battling it out with Jameis Winston for the remaining 14 games. And for only a fifth-round pick, it’s difficult to hate the move.
Giants finally land J.J. McCarthy two years after passing on him
There’s a good amount of irony about McCarthy finally ending up in East Rutherford two years after the Giants spent much of the 2024 pre-draft process seriously considering him with the sixth pick.
General manager Joe Schoen and Co. extensively evaluated the former Michigan Wolverines star ahead of the 2024 Draft before ultimately using the No. 6 pick on wide receiver Malik Nabers. McCarthy went four picks later to Minnesota, while New York waited another year before making Dart its QB of the future.
Now they have both.
The Giants desperately needed another option after watching Winston struggle in his first two opportunities replacing Dart. Famous Jameis completed just 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards and an interception against the LA Rams in Week 2 before throwing for 118 yards in Sunday’s 12-7 win over Tennessee.
New York hasn’t scored a single touchdown in either of his appearances, with six Dominic Zvada field goals accounting for all of its points.
Head coach John Harbaugh has already said Winston will remain the starter for Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, so McCarthy shouldn’t expect to start immediately. What happens after that is where things could get weird.
The 23-year-old has already fallen out of favor with the Vikings. He has 10 career starts (6-4), throwing for 1,632 yards with a 57.6% completion rate, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He has added 181 yards and four scores on the ground.
His skill set and physical profile could mirror a lot of what Dart offers the G-Men, making this trade make a bit more sense than adding some traditional pocket passer. Still, Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz were able to make their way ahead of him on the depth chart, so his addition shouldn't be viewed as a saving grace or anything of the sort. He struggled mightily in Minnesota.
There’s also the obvious Harbaugh connection. McCarthy played for John’s brother Jim at Michigan, where the two won a national championship together before McCarthy left for the NFL.
None of this changes whose team the Giants expect this to be once Dart returns. It does give them something they badly needed after the past two weeks: another option if Winston’s struggles continue. Reports suggested New York could make two QB moves this week, so consider this only the beginning.
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