Giants Trade for J.J. McCarthy After Dart Injury

The Giants have traded for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, sending Minnesota a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft for the 23-year-old, after Jaxson Dart was ruled out for the rest of the 2026 season.

Dart suffered the knee injury early in New York's Week Two defeat to the Los Angeles Rams and has since had surgery on the meniscus and medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Jameis Winston took over under centre and started the Giants' 2-1 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Head coach Brian Daboll said Winston remains the starter even with McCarthy now in the building. "Jameis did all the things as a quarterback that we needed to do to win that game," Daboll said on Monday. "But that doesn't mean that's where we stand. We're going to keep growing. There's going to be new challenges in front of us."

The Giants gave Winston a two-year, $13m extension just three weeks ago, a deal built as much on his standing in the locker room and his mentorship of Dart as on what he offers on the field. McCarthy's arrival does not change the starter for now, but it gives New York a younger option waiting behind him if Winston falters or Dart's recovery drags on.