The Giants have exactly one quarterback on their active roster. That is not a projection or a worst-case scenario. That is the current situation.
Jaxson Dart’s season ended with MCL and meniscus damage requiring surgery, and New York is now working the phones with Jameis Winston as the only signal caller under contract on the 53.
The Internal Option First
Jake Haener sits on the practice squad and can be elevated. That is the emergency answer for Sunday against Tennessee, because anyone acquired this week almost certainly cannot learn the offense in time.
Winston’s two-year, $13 million extension now looks like the best value contract on the roster. He is the starter and the plan.
Tyler Huntley Is the Cleanest Fit
Huntley spent four seasons in Baltimore and Greg Roman is on the Giants staff. A former Pro Bowler with playoff experience and mobility, at a backup salary, with someone in the building who already knows how to coach him.
That is the lowest-friction acquisition available.
Justin Fields Is the Name Fans Want
Fields is in Kansas City on a backup deal, and Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy coached him as a rookie in Chicago in 2021. He also played in New York with the Jets, so the market is familiar.
The talent is obvious. The concern is that Fields as a backup has never been a comfortable arrangement for Fields, and a quarterback room needs a clear hierarchy more than it needs upside on the bench.
Mitch Trubisky Is the Answer I Would Choose
Nagy and Trubisky spent three seasons together in Chicago and went 25-13 in that span. He is in Tennessee on a backup deal.
The install time would be days rather than weeks. He has started meaningful NFL games. He understands the assignment, which is to be ready and to not lose the room.
New York does not need a savior. It needs insurance that works in Week 5.
Anthony Richardson Is the Lottery Ticket
Richardson requested a trade earlier in the offseason and his rookie contract expires after this season. Indianapolis would likely take very little for him.
The appeal is obvious: a first-round athlete at no long-term cost. The problem is that a 1-1 team fighting to stay relevant does not have the practice reps to develop a project quarterback in-season.
Joe Flacco Is the Veteran Floor
Flacco is 41, on a veteran deal in Cincinnati, and averaged 272.7 passing yards per game across six starts in 2025. He played for John Harbaugh in Baltimore.
If New York wants a guy who will not blink when he has to play, Flacco is the answer. If they want a future, he is not.
What Should Happen
Trubisky this week, and revisit the position in the offseason. The Giants’ season depends on Winston staying upright, and the backup’s only job is to not make things worse.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.