On Monday, the New York Giants made a splash by trading for Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy, sending out a future draft pick in return. The move gives the Giants another option at quarterback after Jameis Winston struggled for the second straight game on Sunday in place of the injured Jaxson Dart.
Now, the Giants have made a subsequent move in the aftermath of the McCarthy trade.
“The #Giants will be waiving QB Jake Haener after signing him to the active roster the other day. He’ll head back to the practice squad after clearing waivers, an indication he’s still in line to be their third-string guy and no other QB to be added as of now,” reported NFL insider Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network on X, formerly Twitter.
While the Giants may plan for Haener to still be their third-string quarterback, being on the practice squad means that he is able to be pursued by other teams should they have interest in him.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the Giants plan to make McCarthy their new starter right off the bat in the wake of Winston's struggles. Winston was thrust into action last week after Dart went down just a few plays into New York's blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams and struggled mightily, continuing on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans in some poor weather conditions.
While the Giants ended up winning that game in narrow fashion, it's clear that the team's front office is not satisfied with the team's replacement QB play at the current juncture.
New York will next hit the field next Sunday at home vs the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm ET.