Jaxson Dart will miss the rest of the New York Giants’ regular season after undergoing surgery Friday to repair a meniscus and MCL injury. That leaves Jameis Winston as the starter for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, but NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport has already mapped out what New York could do if Winston does not hold up. His short list: Justin Fields, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Gardner Minshew. Three names, three very different acquisition paths, and one question that could define the Giants’ season.
Who could the Giants sign or trade for as their quarterback?
Rapoport laid it out clearly on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday. Winston gets the first crack, with Jake Haener behind him as the backup. If Winston plays well, the Giants keep it simple and roll with him. If he does not, the options get more complicated.
“It’s going to be Jameis this week with Jake Haener in as the two,” Rapoport said. “And if Jameis is good, then I’d say probably that’s where they’ll roll.”
Then came the contingency. “If he’s not, then you start thinking of, is Jimmy Garoppolo, who I know colleague Mike Garafolo has mentioned there’s been some contact there. Do they make a trade? Someone who’s been with Matt Nagy, maybe like a Gardner Minshew, Justin Fields from the Chiefs,” Rapoport added.
Of the three names, Garoppolo is the most straightforward transaction. He is a free agent, which means no other team has to give up anything to make the deal happen. Fields is sitting behind Patrick Mahomes on Kansas City’s depth chart, and Minshew is third on Arizona’s behind Jacoby Brissett. Pulling either of them away from a roster in late September is a real ask, and Rapoport acknowledged as much. Teams do not typically hand over backup quarterbacks mid-season, especially not without significant compensation.
Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed Winston starts Sunday and said the Giants intend to add a veteran quarterback to the room regardless. He also left the door open for a trade, depending on what shakes loose around the league.
How did Jameis Winston perform after Jaxson Dart’s injury?
Winston’s first extended action this season was not promising. After Dart left the Giants’ Week 2 loss to the Rams, Winston came in and completed just 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards with one interception. New York lost 28-6. It was a rough sample size, though the game was already sliding away by that point.
The numbers behind the scenes tell an even starker story. Dart currently ranks second among all quarterbacks with a 90.6 grade, per PFN’s QB Impact rankings. Winston sits at 17th with a 75.0. The gap between what New York had and what it has now is not subtle.
That said, one bad showing after inheriting a blowout loss is not a verdict on Winston. Coaches give quarterbacks cleaner opportunities than that before pulling the plug. Sunday against Tennessee is the real audition. If Winston can move the offense and keep the Giants competitive, the free agent and trade conversations stay dormant. If he struggles again, Rapoport’s list stops being hypothetical pretty quickly.