- New York adds another quarterback: The Giants acquired J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round pick after Jaxson Dart's knee injury.
- McCarthy brings high-end flashes: His 7.3% big-time throw rate ranked second among 38 quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks in 2025.
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The New York Giants have found another quarterback to help navigate life without Jaxson Dart, acquiring J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round pick, according to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero.
Dart is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season after suffering a significant knee injury in Week 2, leaving Jameis Winston atop a suddenly thin quarterback depth chart. But the Giants had reportedly been exploring additions since learning the extent of Dart’s injury, with McCarthy among the quarterbacks linked to New York in recent days.
Winston did little to quiet that search through two outings. He has earned a 50.9 PFF passing grade across 55 dropbacks in 2026, ranking 30th among 36 qualifying quarterbacks. His 4.0% big-time throw rate ranks 15th, while his 3.5% turnover-worthy play rate ranks 19th among that same group.
The efficiency numbers have been even more concerning. Winston ranks 35th among his peers in EPA per play (-0.36) and last among that 35-quarterback group in both completion percentage over expectation (-16.7%) and adjusted completion percentage (58.7%). His -9.7% accuracy over expectation ranks 31st.
New York has managed just 18 points in the two games in which Winston has taken over for Dart, including Sunday's 12-7 win over Tennessee.
McCarthy's first season as an NFL starter wasn't dramatically better from an efficiency standpoint, with the former Michigan man producing 0.10 EPA per play, a figure that put him 38th among the league's 43 qualifying passers. However, it did offer considerably more evidence of high-end play.
McCarthy's 7.3% big-time throw rate also ranked second at the position, and he generated 19 big-time throws across 291 dropbacks.
The problem was almost everything else. McCarthy's 4.8% turnover-worthy play rate ranked 39th in that group, while his 60.1 PFF passing grade ranked 35th.
That volatility showed up throughout McCarthy's PFF profile. He earned just a 69.7 passing grade from a clean pocket, ranking 37th of 43 quarterbacks, and his 49.0 grade against the blitz ranked 41st.
His ball placement was another persistent issue: only 51.7% of his throws were charted as accurate, 42nd of 43 passers. The appeal, however, remains tied to the throws at the other end of the spectrum. Few quarterbacks produced big-time throws as frequently as McCarthy did in his first season as a starter.
The trade gives McCarthy another opportunity to develop after injuries disrupted the beginning of his career and his standing in Minnesota changed. He entered 2026 behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz on the Vikings' depth chart, making him expendable once the Giants' need at quarterback became more urgent.
For New York, the move doesn't change Dart's place as the franchise's young quarterback. But with Winston struggling and Dart unavailable for the rest of the regular season, a fifth-round pick gives the Giants a chance to evaluate another former first-round quarterback whose flashes have so far been accompanied by considerable volatility.
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