Harbaugh: Playoff return for Dart may be ambitious

New York acquired McCarthy from the Vikings on Monday in exchange for a 2027 fifth round draft pick. Hughes spoke with NFL sources who said “the Giants do not give up a fifth-round pick unless they plan to play McCarthy in the near future.” Head coach John Harbaugh and the team’s coaching staff, per Hughes, see McCarthy as a starting-caliber quarterback despite his immense struggles in Minnesota last season. “The Giants welcomed the chance to add a player they view as a competitor, gritty, mobile, and who has all the tools to be a plus passer in the NFL,” Hughes said. With Jameis Winston playing worse than any QB in recent memory, McCarthy could be just a couple weeks away from taking over as New York’s starter. He would be a mild upgrade for Malik Nabers and the rest of the Giants pass catchers.

Jameis will be the starter for “as long as I can see into the future” per Harbaugh, so we’re guessing maybe 2-3 weeks. It will likely take J.J. McCarthy some time to get up to speed with the Giants. Winston has played woeful football through two appearances, not throwing a touchdown and being held under 120 yards twice despite 49 pass attempts over the past two weeks. Winston will be a bottom-end superflex option in Week 4.

The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report the trade. McCarthy landing with John Harbaugh’s Giants feels a bit too on-the-nose given his connection with Jim Harbaugh during his days at Michigan. McCarthy was at one point competing for the Vikings’ QB1 job in camp with Kyler Murray, but was knocked all the way down to QB3 on the Vikings’ depth chart when Carson Wentz took over for Murray in Week 1 and drew the start in Week 2. Assuming Jameis Winston doesn’t suddenly exceed expectations and lead an efficient passing attack, McCarthy will probably get a shot to start at some point when he gets up to speed with the offense. McCarthy has thrown for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 career games while completing 57.6 percent of his passes. We’ll see if a change of scenery is all he needs to turn the corner and live up to the hype that made him the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Giants rotated between punts and field goals in almost perfect succession throughout this contest. They leaned on their ground game with 33 carries compared to 22 pass attempts, so there wasn’t all that much for Winston to do. He took care of the ball with zero turnovers but had just one completion of more than 13 yards, a scramble drill toss to Cam Skattebo for 30. He will have to throw more often and more aggressively versus the Cardinals next week, but the Giants clearly don’t want him playing his normal, gunslinger brand of football. He will barely crack the QB2 ranks for Week 4.

If you have ever thrown a football, get an agent and have them contact the New York Giants. McCarthy and Fields join a list that, per previous reports, already included Gardner Minshew, Mac Jones, and Jimmy Garoppolo. Schefter also named Brandon Allen, who was on the Giants’ roster during training camp, as an option. Jameis Winston will get the start in Week 3, but the journeyman passer looked downright awful in relief of Jaxson Dart last week. The team will be forced to make a move at quarterback if he struggles versus the Titans today. McCarthy would be a true Hail Mary for the G-Men, but he does have a strong tie to the Harbaugh brothers via his time at Michigan.

According to Pelissero, Giants GM Joe Schoen is “working the phones” and a trade could be done as soon as Monday. The Giants gave Dart’s backup Jameis Winston a two-year contract extension just before the start of the regular season. While the Giants are looking to add to their quarterback depth, it seems unlikely that whoever they acquire at this point would be able to unseat Winston as the starter immediately. New York takes on Tennessee in Week 3 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

According to Raanan, the belief is that Dart will have surgery to repair his meniscus and MCL. The second-year quarterback is looking at a 4-6 month recovery period after his surgery, which will sideline him for the remainder of the regular season. Head coach John Harbaugh said earlier in the week that Dart could return in the postseason if Jameis Winston pulls off the unthinkable and leads the G-Men to their first playoff berth since 2022.

Garafolo notes that a meniscus repair typically requires a 4-6 month recovery timeline. If Dart heals at the fastest possible speed, he could return in late January. This seems somewhat unlikely, given the fact that he will also have his MCL surgically fixed and must rehab the injured PCL, but apparently Harbaugh is feeling optimistic. In the meantime, QB Jameis Winston has been named the starter.

Winston played poorly in QB Jaxson Dart’s (knee) stead last week. If he can bounce back, the trade talk might calm down. If not, it will only get louder. The Giants face the Titans in Week 3, which should provide Winston with an opportunity to reasonably support one or two pass catchers in fantasy. Stay tuned.

The extent of Dart’s knee injury was not initially understood, but further testing showed a serious injury to his MCL and PCL. He’ll be sidelined for the rest of the season, effectively ending the Giants’ season. Jameis Winston will likely take over as the team’s starter. It’s a letdown for Dart, who started the year hot against the Cowboys. In relief of Dart in Week 2, Winston was 25 percent below his expected completion rate, the worst mark in the league. Look for the Giants to be a run-heavy, hyper-conservative offense going forward with targets concentrated between Isaiah Likely and Malik Nabers. Winston might be usable in superflex formats for now.