The Giants had to act fast after Jaxson Dart was ruled out for the rest of the regular season following their Week 2 game, and they’ve apparently settled on a new arm for the room behind Jameis Winston.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, New York is trading with the Minnesota Vikings for J.J. McCarthy, a move that gives the Giants a backup with far more long-term intrigue than a typical emergency add. Rapoport said, "The Giants are trading for Vikings' former first-round QB JJ McCarthy, per me @AdamSchefter and @MikeGarafolo," and the deal reportedly comes at a modest price.
Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported that the Giants are only giving up a 2027 fifth-round pick, which makes this a low-risk swing for a team that needed to reinforce its quarterback depth in a hurry. With Dart sidelined, Winston slides in as the starter, and McCarthy becomes the next man up.
The appeal goes beyond just filling a roster spot. McCarthy, a 2024 first-round pick, is still on his rookie contract for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, with a 2028 fifth-year option also in play. That kind of control matters, especially for a team looking ahead while also patching things together right now.
There’s also the upside factor. McCarthy struggled in Minnesota last season after missing his entire 2024 rookie year because of injury, but the Giants are betting that a change of scenery could help unlock what made him such a high pick in the first place. He showed enough at Michigan to get drafted in the first round, and New York is clearly willing to take a shot on that talent at a bargain price.
For the Giants, this is the kind of move that makes sense on multiple levels: cheap, controlled, and worth a look for the future. Even if McCarthy never becomes more than a backup, the cost is small enough that the gamble doesn’t carry much downside.
In Other News...
Jerry Jones Just Turned Cowboys Loss Into An Accountability Fight
The Cowboys left Maracan Stadium with more than just a loss to the Ravens. A sequence of shaky play-calling helped turn a promising stretch into a field goal, and the late-game clock management only added to the frustration as Dallas tried to regroup from a trip that exposed some familiar issues on offense. With the Texans up next, the attention around the defeat has already shifted from what happened on the field to who should answer for it.
Jerry Jones made sure the conversation did not stay on the scoreboard. The Cowboys owner and general manager publicly questioned the coaching staff's decisions, while offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer accepted responsibility for a key third-down call. For a team trying to steady itself before another divisional test on the calendar, the bigger question now is whether this becomes a one-game critique or the start of a broader accountability push. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Safety Crisis May Force A Move Faster Than Expected
Early in the 2026 season, the Cowboys are already dealing with a thin safety room after injuries have hit Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke and Jalen Thompson. The result is a depth chart that suddenly looks vulnerable, and it has pushed Dallas toward evaluating outside help before the problem gets any worse.
Several names are already in the mix as the team weighs its next step, including Caleb Ransaw, Cole Wisniewski, Donovan McMillon and free agent Donovan Wilson. However the Cowboys choose to patch the spot, the urgency is real, because safety is one of the few areas where an early-season injury pileup can force a move faster than a team planned. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Rookie Defender Made A Strong Case In Brazil
The Cowboys trip to Brazil ended with a crushing loss to the Ravens on a last-second field goal, but the game still offered a useful early look at several rookies on Dallas defense. Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham and LT Overton all had moments that stood out in a game that gave the staff plenty to evaluate beyond the final score, especially with the spotlight on how the young players handled a high-pressure setting far from home.
There were encouraging flashes in the groups performance, and at least one of those rookies made a strong case with the kind of play that tends to catch coaches attention quickly. Still, the outing also showed the usual rookie growing pains, with each player leaving Brazil having given Dallas reasons to feel better about the future and reasons to keep coaching the details moving forward. [Read more 🡒]