The New York Giants were met with the devastating news that quarterback Jaxson Dart would require season-ending knee surgery after going down against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. Veteran backup Jameis Winston replaced Dart but has struggled to run the offense thus far.

New York still managed to eke out a 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but with Winston struggling through two games, the franchise has decided to bolster its quarterback room for the remainder of the season, trading with the Minnesota Vikings to acquire J.J. McCarthy in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano, however, hates the move and thinks that even if McCarthy, who never met expectations with the Vikings, finds success, the Giants will find themselves facing problems all of their own making.

“I hate it. I think it’s a terrible idea for the Giants,” Graziano said on Tuesday’s episode of Get Up. “I honestly believe this is a move that could cause more problems than it fixes. Because, I mean, you have in your room, you have a 23-year-old starter who just got hurt, who does not— who has not established, you know, himself in the league yet. He’s shown plenty.

“You supposedly believe in him. Now you bring in a guy who’s the same age as him, who was drafted higher, who’s gonna make more money than he is next year. The Giants are on the hook for almost $4 million for this guy for next season. What is the upside?”

“I hate it. I think it’s a terrible idea for the Giants.”@DanGrazianoESPN weighs in on the Giants acquiring J.J. McCarthy 👀 pic.twitter.com/tQy3eeUawd

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 29, 2026

Graziano could see McCarthy playing well leading to a quarterback controversy with Jaxson Dart.

“If he plays well, now you go into the offseason with a controversy with your starting quarterback who’s not all the way there yet in terms of his confidence and is now looking and saying, I gotta rehab my injury, and you just brought in a guy my age who plays the same position, who the last time a coach had a good experience with, it was the brother of the head coach of the team I play for.”

McCarthy is expected to back up Winston for the time being, but if the offense doesn’t improve in the Big Apple, the former Michigan Wolverine could find himself with an opportunity to rehabilitate his career.