The New York Giants have acquired quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick, adding depth after Jaxson Dart suffered a knee injury that is expected to rule him out for the remainder of the regular season.
NFL Network reported on 28 September 2026 that the Giants were trading for McCarthy, while Pro Football Focus said Dart’s Week 2 injury had left Jameis Winston atop a thin quarterback depth chart.
McCarthy, the 10th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, arrives after his position in Minnesota changed. Pro Football Focus reported that he was behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz on the Vikings’ depth chart in 2026, making a move more feasible when New York’s need became urgent.
The cost is limited to a fifth-round selection in 2027, but the deal gives the Giants another quarterback with starting experience to assess while Dart is unavailable. It does not, according to Pro Football Focus, alter Dart’s status as the franchise’s young quarterback.
Pro Football Focus placed Winston atop the depth chart after Dart’s injury. The McCarthy deal gives New York another option at the position during Dart’s expected absence, and his arrival follows the Giants’ search for quarterback help that PFF said began after the extent of Dart’s injury became clear.
Giants add cover behind Winston
Winston started in the Giants’ 12-7 victory over Tennessee after Dart’s injury. Pro Football Focus said New York scored 18 points across the two games in which Winston had taken over for Dart.
Its grading data portrayed a difficult start for Winston in 2026. Across 55 dropbacks, Pro Football Focus credited him with a 50.9 passing grade, which it ranked 30th among 36 qualifying quarterbacks. It also placed him 35th in EPA per play at minus 0.36, last among a 35-quarterback group in adjusted completion percentage at 58.7%, and last in completion percentage over expectation at minus 16.7%.
Pro Football Focus also put Winston’s 4.0% big-time throw rate 15th among the same qualifying group and his 3.5% turnover-worthy play rate 19th. The outlet ranked his accuracy over expectation at minus 9.7%, 31st among the group, adding further context to the Giants’ decision to bring in another quarterback.
The PFF figures describe Winston’s early-season play, while the same outlet reported that he remained atop the Giants’ depth chart after Dart’s injury. McCarthy’s arrival adds a former first-round selection to that quarterback group.
McCarthy brings flashes and inconsistency
Pro Football Focus assessed McCarthy’s first season as an NFL starter as uneven. It reported that his 0.10 EPA per play ranked 38th among 43 qualifying passers, while his 60.1 passing grade was 35th in that group.
There was also evidence of high-level play in the same evaluation. McCarthy’s 7.3% big-time throw rate ranked second among 38 quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. The outlet said he made 19 such throws across 291 dropbacks.
Its data also highlighted substantial risk. McCarthy’s 4.8% turnover-worthy play rate ranked 39th among 43 qualifying quarterbacks, while only 51.7% of his throws were charted as accurate, placing him 42nd in that group. Pro Football Focus also ranked his passing grade from a clean pocket, 69.7, at 37th of 43, and his grade against the blitz, 49.0, at 41st.
With Dart expected to miss the rest of the regular season, the Giants have added a former first-round pick whose PFF profile includes both a high rate of difficult throws and poor marks for accuracy and turnover-worthy plays. The 2027 fifth-round pick is the reported cost of testing whether that ability can strengthen New York’s options at quarterback.