The Giants made a jolt of a move on Monday, landing quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. But even with that trade on the books, John Harbaugh wasn’t ready to blow up the depth chart.
The first-year Giants coach said veteran Jameis Winston will start against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 4, and he stopped short of mapping out anything beyond that. Harbaugh kept the focus squarely on the immediate task in front of his team.
"Our design is to win the next game," Harbaugh said, per Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media. "Jameis will be the starter for as long as I can see into the future.
But I don’t know. Nobody knows.
I have complete confidence that Jameis is going to play a great football game on Sunday. That’s really as far in advance as I’m even willing to think about."
Winston’s recent production has been rough. Since Jaxson Dart went down in Week 2 with a knee injury that will keep him out at least through the regular season, Winston has completed 25 of 49 passes for 229 yards with no touchdowns and one interception over the last two games. ESPN stats had him sitting last among qualified players in Week 3 with a 22.9 adjusted QBR.
Harbaugh also made clear he sees something worth betting on in McCarthy, even if the young quarterback lost his spot in Minnesota. The 2024 first-round pick had fallen to third on the Vikings’ depth chart behind starter Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, but Harbaugh pointed to the traits that made McCarthy a top-10 selection.
"He’s a talented guy," Harbaugh said about McCarthy. "There’s just no doubt about it.
He was a top 10 pick for a reason. There’s plenty of good tape, even in the NFL, out there.
I know he didn’t hold on to that job in Minnesota, and that’s why he’s available. He can throw it.
He can run it. He can make plays.
There’s a lot of things he could do better from what he did [in Minnesota]. But just from a talent standpoint, I don’t think anybody would deny that J.J.
McCarthy is a very talented young quarterback."
For now, the only certainty is that Winston remains the starter. By Tuesday morning, it still wasn’t clear whether McCarthy or Jake Haener would be the Giants’ primary backup against Arizona, and DraftKings Sportsbook listed New York as a 1.5-point home underdog.
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Medical reports later clarified why the injury felt so severe: scar tissue from a previous hamstring issue broke up during the strain, which can create a sharper burst of pain without indicating long-term damage. For Minnesota, it serves as a reminder that not every dramatic injury scene tells the full story, though Williams is still expected to be week-to-week as he works back. [Read more 🡒]
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Vikings Suddenly Face A Huge 2027 Quarterback Decision
The Vikings have put themselves in an unusual spot at quarterback after trading J.J. McCarthy to the Giants, a move that leaves the roster without a passer under contract beyond the 2026 season. For a team that has spent years trying to stabilize the most important position in sports, it means the front office is already looking well past the next season and into a market that could force a major decision on how this era is supposed to look.
Some of the names that could surface for 2027 are not exactly the kind that settle a fan base on their own, but they underline how wide the search may have to be. Justin Herbert sits at the top of that speculative class, while Mac Jones and Drew Lock are also part of the conversation depending on how contracts and team needs shake out, leaving Minnesota with a long runway and a lot of uncertainty before the real answer arrives. [Read more 🡒]