The New York Giants didn’t listen to insider advice. They traded for JJ McCarthy anyway. And Ian Rapoport named two veteran quarterbacks the Giants considered before trading with the Vikings, according to a post on X by the Pat McAfee Show.
“JJ McCarthy is still young and talented,” Rapoport said. “He's the name that made the most sense for the New York Giants. Jameis will start, and McCarthy will learn. This is a pretty good high-upside option for the Giants. The names they considered were: JJ McCarthy, Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew.”
The Giants are 2-1 on the season after a lackluster 12-7 win over the lowly Titans. In the game, Winston was pretty bad. He completed only 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.
What are the Giants’ plans for QB JJ McCarthy?
It’s hard to imagine the Giants view McCarthy as a full-time option. His 10-game sample size in the NFL is small, but the results were atrocious. Are they viewing him as a replacement for Winston? That might not be wise, according to CBS Sports.
“Or are they eyeing him to leapfrog Winston on the depth chart and be New York's starter the rest of the way?” Tyler Sullivan wrote. “If it's the latter, it's a risky roll of the dice. While Winston did not look good coming in under duress for Dart in Week 2 or even in Week 3 against Tennessee, there's no guarantee McCarthy is an upgrade. He might even be a downgrade.
“Last season, McCarthy ranked last among qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (58%), touchdowns-to-interceptions (11-12), and passer rating (72.6).”
That’s a lot of ugliness. It’s hard to comprehend what the Giants accomplished with this trade. Are they still planning to bring in Garoppolo or Minshew anyway? And thus part ways with Winston?
If the idea is to remain competitive with Dart sidelined, how does McCarthy bring anything to the table in that regard? There are more questions than answers with this decision by the Giants' front office.