The New York Giants' trade for J.J. McCarthy features a dangerous possibility.
The New York Giants pulled off a trade for quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Monday, sending a fifth-round draft pick to the Minnesota Vikings in return.
The deal follows a season-ending injury to Jaxson Dart, who injured his knee against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 and had to undergo surgery.
Jameis Winston relieved Dart versus the Rams and started for the Giants on Sunday, and while New York did beat the Tennessee Titans, he hasn't looked good.
So there is a possibility that McCarthy does ultimately supplant Winston as the starting quarterback at some point this year, and he is under team control through 2028 (he has a fifth-year option for the 2028 campaign).
That begs the question: what is the Giants' long-term plan for McCarthy?
New York just surrendered a relatively high Day 3 pick in exchange for the 23-year-old, and now, the Giants are left with just four draft picks in 2027. So they must have some sort of strategy in place. I doubt they just view him as a backup for this year.
New York could look to flip McCarthy to a quarterback-needy team after 2026 and potentially land a better pick than the one it landed. That's the safest possibility.
But the other outcome is that McCarthy plays really well down the stretch here and creates a mini quarterback controversy heading into next season.
Is that possible?
Dart, when healthy, has been terrific. He was impressive during his rookie campaign, and he put forth a tremendous showing in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. He absolutely, positively should be the Giants' opening-day starter next September.
But you know how this works: a quarterback gets hurt, another one steps in and plays well for a few games, and suddenly a dilemma ensues. Not necessarily for the team itself, but from outsiders who certainly have an influence on the locker room.
Is McCarthy really someone you would view as a long-term backup? Or is he a developmental quarterback? Most would probably say it's the latter.
So can you actually envision a world in which McCarthy remains as a backup through at least 2027, especially after Winston just signed an extension with New York?
Again, the best possible outcome is for McCarthy to replace Winston, play well and then drum up trade interest next offseason. Maybe the Giants can then pawn him off for a third or fourth-rounder. I genuinely believe that's New York's angle here.
But there is always the outside chance that he performs well enough to get people thinking, and that wouldn't be a good thing.
