New NFL Rumors on Giants' Possible QB Trade Targets After Jaxson Dart's Knee Injury

With Jaxson Dart set to miss the rest of the season, the New York Giants find themselves in the quarterback market as they try to salvage their 2026 campaign.

Appearing on Thursday's episode of Get Up, ESPN's Adam Schefter cited Gardner Minshew of the Arizona Cardinals and Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers as potential targets for the Giants.

Schefter added a trade for Jones would cost "a lot" if the 49ers are even willing to discuss a deal. He also noted the Giants will see how Week 3 with Jameis Winston starting against the Tennessee Titans go before they make any decisions.

Dart will undergo surgery on his knee after being injured on the Giants' first offensive possession in Monday's 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Taking over after Dart left, Winston did not inspire a lot of confidence with how he played. The former No. 1 overall pick finished 11-of-27 for 111 yards and one interception.

Sunday will mark Winston's first start since Week 12 last season. He hasn't won a game as the starting quarterback since Week 12 of the 2024 season when he led the Cleveland Browns to a 24-19 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In-season quarterback trades are very rare. There have only been three since the start of the 2021 season with Joe Flacco involved in two of them. He was traded to the New York Jets in October 2021 and Cincinnati Bengals in October 2025.

The other one saw Joshua Dobbs traded by the Arizona Cardinals to the Minnesota Vikings in October 2023 after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles.

Another potential issue for the Giants is it's still so early in the season that teams may not be eager to break up their quarterback room until they have a better understanding of how things look.

San Francisco was reportedly seeking at least a second-round pick for Jones in the offseason. Even though Brock Purdy has played very well to start this season, he has missed time in each of the past two years that the 49ers might not want to part with Jones.

The Cardinals are in a position to potentially capitalize on New York's situation. Minshew is the No. 2 quarterback on their depth chart, but they used a third-round pick in the 2026 draft on Carson Beck.

Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy worked with Minshew last season when they were both with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The schedule is set up for Winston and the Giants to at least tread water for a bit as they assess the quarterback market. Their upcoming games after the Titans on Sunday include the Cardinals in Week 4 and Washington Commanders in Week 5 before back-to-back games against the New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans leading into their bye.