- New York adds another quarterback: The Giants acquired JJ McCarthy from the Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round pick after Jaxson Dart’s knee injury.
- McCarthy delivers high-end flashes: His 7.3% big-time throw rate ranks 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 JJ McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round pick, according to Tom Pelissero of The Ringer.
Dart is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a major knee injury in Week 2, leaving Jameis Winston on an suddenly thin quarterback depth chart. But the Giants have 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 has done nothing to quell that pursuit through two outings. He earned a 50.9 PFF passing grade on 55 dropbacks in 2026, which ranked 30th out of 36 qualified quarterbacks. His 4.0% big-time throw rate ranks 15th, while his 3.5% turnover-worthy play rate ranks 19th among both groups.
The efficiency numbers were even more worrying. Winston ranks 35th among his peers in EPA per game (-0.36) and is last among that 35-quarterback group in both completion percentage better than expected (-16.7%) and adjusted completion percentage (58.7%). His -9.7% accuracy over expectations ranks 31st.
New York has scored just 18 points in the two games Winston has filled in for Dart, including Sunday’s 12-7 win over Tennessee.
McCarthy’s first season as an NFL starter wasn’t noticeably better from an efficiency standpoint, with the former Michigan native producing 0.10 EPA per play, a figure that placed him 38th out of the league’s 43 qualifying passers. However, it offers more evidence of high-end gaming.
McCarthy’s 7.3% big-time throw rate also ranks second at the position, and he has made 19 big-time throws on 291 dropbacks.
The problem is almost everything else. McCarthy’s 4.8% turnover-worthy play rate ranks 39th among that group, while his 60.1 PFF passing grade ranks 35th.
That volatility showed throughout McCarthy’s PFF profile. He had just a 69.7 passing grade out of the clean pocket, 37th out of 43 quarterbacks, and his 49.0 grade against the blitz ranked 41st.
His ball placement was another recurring issue: only 51.7% of his throws were recorded as accurate, 42nd out of 43 passers. The appeal, however, remains tied to throws at the other end of the spectrum. Few quarterbacks made big-time throws as often as McCarthy did in his first season as a starter.
The trade gives McCarthy another chance to improve after injuries disrupted the start of his career and his status in Minnesota changed. He enters 2026 behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz on the Vikings’ depth chart, making him expendable when the Giants’ need at quarterback becomes more pressing.
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 been accompanied by significant volatility.