NFL Insider Lists Justin Fields Among Giants QB Trade Targets to Replace Injured Jaxson Dart

The New York Giants are going to be without young quarterback Jaxson Dart for the remainder of the season, meaning Jameis Winston is currently in line to operate as the starter.

But the Giants could seek another option in free agency or via a trade. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport speculated on Thursday that veteran free agent Jimmy Garoppolo is the "top option" among unsigned players and such a move is a "possibility if [Winston] does not play well."

As for trades, he listed a trio of backups—Arizona's Gardner Minshew II, Kansas City's Justin Fields and Pittsburgh's Mason Rudolph—as "some of the names to keep an eye on."

Stylistically, Fields might be the closest fit to the dual threat Dart provided when healthy, though the Chiefs would have to also be willing to trade their backup quarterback. That doesn't seem terribly likely just one season removed from Patrick Mahomes suffering a torn ACL, though if the Chiefs brought in a different backup it could be feasible.

Kansas City does have Garrett Nussmeier on the roster but he's an unproven rookie.

The Cardinals and Steelers may make more sense as potential trade partners. Arizona also has rookie Carson Beck on the roster and may be more inclined to give a rookie a long evaluation period than a Chiefs team with Super Bowl aspirations. And the Steelers kept four quarterbacks on the roster, with both Will Howard and Drew Allar waiting in the wings.

Still, the most likely scenario is a Garoppolo signing if Winston struggles. The 34-year-old spent the 2024-25 seasons serving as Matt Stafford's backup in Los Angeles and made one start in that time, throwing for 334 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a Week 18 loss in the 2024 campaign.

The hope in New York, obviously, is that Winston will play far better than Monday's dreadful performance against the Rams (11-for-27 with 111 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and two sacks taken). Working full-time with the starters in practice should help in that regard.

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But if Winston falters, the Giants are going to have to carefully consider their options as they look to salvage a once-promising 2025 season.