The New York Giants‘ 2026 campaign was flipped on its head on Tuesday, as it was revealed that second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart may miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury in the team’s Week 2 loss. Initial reports seemed to indicate Dart would be able to return at some point this year, but there’s a chance he’s already played his final snap of the campaign.
For the time being, New York is rolling with Jameis Winston as its quarterback, and while he should be able to hold down the fort in the short-term future, it would be wise for the Giants to explore other potential options. One guy who could be available on the trade market is former Minnesota Vikings first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, with NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently linking him to N.Y.
J.J. McCarthy Labeled Potential Trade Target for the Giants
Excitement was buzzing around Dart and the Giants‘ offense after he carved up the Dallas Cowboys for 230 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1. All of that came crumbling down when Dart was forced out of the game after New York’s first drive against the Los Angeles Rams, and now the team has to scramble in an effort to find answers ahead of Week 3.
Right now, Winston is the guy, but as his outing against the Rams in relief of Dart showed, he isn’t exactly a consistent option at this point in his career (11/27, 111 YDS, 1 INT). There’s a decent chance that, at some point in the future, New York will need someone else to play quarterback for it, which necessitates another move at this position.
McCarthy sticks out as an option, as his future with Minnesota is murky at best after he lost his starting job to Kyler Murray and then was passed over in favor of Carson Wentz once Murray suffered a concussion in Week 1. The Vikings appear open to dealing the former first-round pick, which could make him a target for the Giants if Winston struggles.
“It might be worth a call to Minnesota, where J.J. McCarthy toils on the bench,” Fowler wrote. “General manager Joe Schoen did a lot of homework on the 2024 draft class of quarterbacks, so he knows the pros and cons of McCarthy’s game. Rival teams believe McCarthy can be acquired at a value since Minnesota doesn’t appear to have him in the long-term plans.”
Should the Giants Trade for J.J. McCarthy?
The No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a meniscus injury. When he found his way onto the field in 2025, he was essentially the worst quarterback in the league (140/243, 1,632 YDS, 11 TD, 12 INT). After Murray signed with the Vikings in free agency, the writing was on the wall for McCarthy.
At just 23 years old, McCarthy still has quite a bit of potential, and he wouldn’t necessarily be a bad guy for the Giants to take a flier on. There is certainly no guarantee he’d pan out, but at this point in their respective careers, he probably has more upside than Winston. New York is going to see how Winston performs with a full week preparing as the team’s starter, but if he can’t get the offense going, a trade involving McCarthy would make a lot of sense.
Giants QB Trade for Ex-1st-Rounder ‘Worth a Call’ After Jaxson Dart Injury: Insider