My heart breaks for Jaxson Dart and New York Giants fans. In year one under John Harbaugh, the Giants probably weren’t going to get very far, but this season was all about developing Dart and some of their other young talent. Now, just two weeks into the season, pretty much all the excitement around this year is gone.

On Monday Night Football, Dart took a hit to the knee early on, which caused him to exit the game prematurely. He went back to the locker room for a while, but returned to the sideline in the second half in street clothes, giving Giants fans some hope that he might not miss much time. But after further examination, it was determined that Dart will need season-ending surgery on his knee.

Jameis Winston is slated to start next week, but after a very poor performance on Monday night, the Giants may want to explore making a move for another quarterback to finish out the season. Here are five players they could target if they decide Winston can’t help them achieve their goals for this year.

1. Derek Carr

If the Giants want the best chance to make a playoff push this season, their best option is probably going to be Derek Carr. The former Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints quarterback retired after the 2024 season and didn’t play at all last year, but he’s still 35 years old and has more in the tank.

Carr is just a couple of years removed from throwing for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions behind a 68.4 percent completion rate in 2023. The following season obviously wasn’t great with Carr missing seven games, but he still averaged 214 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game in 2024.

The Saints own Carr’s rights, so the Giants would need to trade for him, just like Denver had to do to get Sean Payton a few years back. But it probably wouldn’t cost much. They just have to weigh whether getting the best option available is worth the cost.

2. Mac Jones

After a pretty good rookie season in 2021, Mac Jones’s career took a turn for the worse. He missed time in 2022 and 2023, but wasn’t very good when he was on the field, and ended up starting eight games for Jacksonville in 2024, but threw just eight touchdowns to eight interceptions. He ended up as San Francisco’s backup in 2025 and revived his career there.

Jones was thrust into the starting lineup in September when Brock Purdy got hurt, and he played really well, throwing for 2,151 yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions in eight games as a starter. He had five games with multiple touchdowns and five games with 275+ passing yards during that time, and he was able to keep San Fran afloat with a 5-3 record. He was even able to beat the Rams in overtime that year.

Would Jones perform as well in a non-Kyle Shanahan offense? Maybe not, but he’s still one of the best backups in football that could give the Giants a chance.

3. Spencer Rattler

Many believe Spencer Rattler is one of the best backup quarterbacks in football, and with Zach Wilson hanging around in New Orleans, the Saints could entertain selling him to New York for the right price.

Rattler has talent. He was a five-star quarterback prospect coming out of high school and played fairly well in 2025, throwing for 1,586 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions and a 67.7 percent completion rate, but he is 1-13 as a starter in the NFL. Part of that was the Saints just being a bad team, but he also never did anything to help the Saints win.

Still, if Matt Nagy thinks he could extract something out of him, Rattler could be an option for New York. The Saints need pass rush help, so maybe they could send Kayvon Thibodeaux, who they don’t plan on re-signing after this year anyway, over for Rattler?

4. Jimmy Garoppolo

If the Giants did want to go into the retired QB well, Jimmy Garoppolo could be another solid option for them. He hasn’t played much meaningful football since 2023, when he started six games and went 3-3 with 1,205 yards and seven touchdowns, but he’s always been one of the better backups in the league and could provide them a much more stable hand than Winston.

During the height of his career, Garoppolo was good for 3,800+ yards and 20+ touchdowns a season, but that was with Kyle Shanahan, one of the more QB-friendly coaches in the league. At 35 years old, I don’t know if he could find that same magic with Matt Nagy, but I do think he’s good enough to not lose you games. He might not win them for you, but he can keep the ball out of the opponent’s hands and run the offense somewhat efficiently.

5. J.J. McCarthy

The final option I’m going to throw out there is J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy hasn’t proven he’s starting-caliber, but a change of scenery has helped young QBs like Darnold, Mayfield, and Smith. Could that be the case for McCarthy?

McCarthy is certainly the most mobile quarterback of this bunch, which would give Nagy more options to run with his offense, but he’s probably the worst thrower in football. But with Cam Skattebo in the backfield, this offense should turn into a run-first offense anyway with Dart out.

I don’t think McCarthy is the right fit, but if Nagy wants a young quarterback that’s not set in his ways and can be groomed to fit his offense, maybe he’s the best choice.