After Jaxson Dart went down with a season-ending injury, it was fairly obvious that the New York Giants were going to add another quarterback at some point in the coming weeks.
I’m just not sure many fans were ready for the trade they ended up making on Monday morning.
J.J. McCarthy, the former first-round draft choice for the Minnesota Vikings, is headed to New York. Big Blue flipped a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for the former starter.
It’s clear that Jim Harbaugh, McCarthy’s collegiate coach at Michigan, put in a good word for him with his brother, John. He’ll start as the backup behind Jameis Winston.
But what is the endgame here for the Giants? What does trading for McCarthy do for the organization, considering they have Dart coming back in 2027 as their hopeful franchise quarterback?
Dan Duggan Asks the Giants a Tough Question
That’s exactly what The Athletic’s Dan Duggan asked the New York Giants on Monday’s episode of NYG411 with Connor Hughes.
Duggan questioned the Giants’ motives behind acquiring McCarthy, and his fit with the franchise in the immediate and distant future.
“So is he going to come in here, learn the offense, take over for Jameis, and then lead this team to what? To where? Like, it’s just to me, I don’t see the upside to it. I mean, a fifth-round pick? That’s not nothing. You know, this isn’t like a sixth- and a seventh- round pick swap,” Duggan questioned.
“What’s the upside here to J.J. McCarthy? You gave Jameis the extension in September. He’s locked in to be your backup at least through next year… So you got these three quarterbacks in 2027. I guess that’s great. You got a really deep quarterback room then, but to give up assets right now for him, I just think it’s a wasteful move.”
It’s fair to wonder why the Giants would give up draft capital to acquire a player like McCarthy. He has more good tape than bad under his belt in the NFL, and New York already has a long-term plan in place with Dart under center.
Do they envision McCarthy as the long-term backup behind Dart? Is he going to end up playing this season if Winston continues his poor play?
The direction here is questionable at best.
Is J.J. McCarthy an Upgrade Over Jameis Winston?
Over the last two games, it was obvious that the New York Giants had to make an addition at quarterback. Winston, who played well in spurts in 2025, looks completely out of his depth.
Through two games, the former No. 1 overall pick has completed 51% of his passes for 229 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception.
On Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, the Giants only asked Winston to throw the ball 22 times, indicative of their trust in his decision-making.
Is McCarthy really all that much better of an option than the veteran? The short answer is no, probably not, but he may have more upside than Jake Haener, the quarterback Big Blue waived in favor of McCarthy.
Giants fans are more likely than not going to see McCarthy play at some point this season. The question remains whether it was the right choice to trade for him or not.
Giants Insider Asks the Difficult Question After J.J. McCarthy Trade