The New York Giants are in the quarterback market after losing Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury.
It was sadly confirmed Wednesday that Dart will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his left knee. His MRI showed damage to his MCL, PCL and meniscus. That’s a crushing blow to the Giants considering Dart was expected to take a Year 2 leap with John Harbaugh at the helm. Now, the front office is left scrambling for help at the most important position in the sport.
So who’s available and willing to help New York’s quarterback room? NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo is reporting the Giants could pursue veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the coming weeks.
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Garoppolo, 34, has started in 64 games since entering the NFL in 2014, completing 67.4% of his passes for 15,828 yards and 96 touchdowns. He flirted with retirement this past offseason but ultimately decided to hold off for another year.
“Jimmy Garoppolo back in April, Ian Rapoport reported that he was considering retirement … Here’s my understanding with Jimmy G, in the right situation, he will come back, and he will play football. He has not decided to retire. He just needed some time to himself this offseason, and now he is refreshed and renewed,” Garafolo said, via Heavy.com. “I don’t think anything is imminent. I wouldn’t expect him to sign with anybody. Maybe it’s going to have to be an injury to a quarterback, and all of a sudden you need a veteran guy to come in and be part of the mix, if not the starter. Jimmy Garoppolo is not retiring from my understanding; he will continue to play.”
In theory, Garoppolo wouldn’t cost much for the Giants and he’d give them a game manager capable of playing complementary football.
Who else can the Giants target?
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Giants could consider a trade for Arizona Cardinals backup Gardner Minshew.
“There are some interesting candidates out there. Gardner Minshew played for Matt Nagy in Kansas City. He’s now the Giants offensive coordinator,” Schefter said. “And Gardner Minshew beat John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens twice.”
Schefter also mentioned Mac Jones, but he said the San Francisco 49ers would want “a lot” to move on from the former Alabama star. That makes sense considering he did a great job filling in for Brock Purdy last season.
For now, the G-Men will rely on Jameis Winston at quarterback.
