Giants' Joe Schoen discusses acquiring J.J. McCarthy, trade deadline plan, future of Jaxson Dart

Before the New York Giants acquired J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings in late September, it was mentioned that Giants general manager Joe Schoen previously "did a lot of homework on" quarterbacks selected during the 2024 NFL Draft. 

More recently, McCarthy helped the Giants earn a 27-21 overtime win over the Houston Texans that improved New York to 4-2-1 this past Sunday. While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Schoen discussed how the scouting done ahead of the 2024 draft helped result in McCarthy becoming a Giants player this fall. 

Giants' Easter morning experience with J.J. McCarthy impressed Joe Schoen

"It may not be for today," Schoen said about the Giants' scouting processes, per SNY. "Maybe it's not for this year's draft. But down the road, you may be able to make a move like what we made because of the research we did on J.J. We had him in the building. We worked him out on Easter morning at 8 a.m. Eight of his teammates were there, the head coach, the video guy. The amount of people who showed up on Easter morning to help J.J. out, it said something about the kid." 

The Vikings gave up on McCarthy after he made just 10 total regular-season starts, but Schoen is now hoping the 23-year-old will look like a revelation through January. Against the Texans, the Giants tallied four rushing touchdowns, while McCarthy went 20-of-28 passing for 252 yards with no turnovers.

"Because of the work we did on J.J. in the predraft process, we felt comfortable with who the kid was. And we liked the film we saw from Minnesota," Schoen added. 

Will Giants be more cautious at trade deadline after injuries? 

McCarthy is serving as the Giants' QB1 because first-choice option Jaxson Dart is recovering from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 2. In Week 3, Giants star pass-rusher Brian Burns went down with a torn ACL and a lateral meniscus tear.

Schoen insisted on Tuesday that those setbacks won't "affect" his plans regarding the Nov. 10 trade deadline. 

"That really won't impact what we do," Schoen explained. "We're gonna look at it from a short-term and long-term, any move that we make." 

The Giants are among the teams that have been linked with Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor. On Tuesday, Schoen confirmed that New York running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. was going on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. 

Could Giants have both J.J. McCarthy and Jaxson Dart in 2027?

A previous report suggested that the Giants want McCarthy to play well through the rest of this season in part so that they can acquire a draft asset or two for his services next year. On Tuesday, Schoen hinted that McCarthy, Dart and current backup Jameis Winston could all be on the roster in September 2027. 

While Schoen also said that Dart is out for the rest of the season, the executive echoed what first-year head coach John Harbaugh said in September and noted that the signal-caller "still thinks if we make the playoffs, that he's going to be able to come back."