New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is out for the regular season due to injury, and ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter has a trade candidate for them on the Arizona Cardinals.
"There are some interesting candidates out there."@AdamSchefter dives into the possible QB1 pursuit by the Giants ✍️ pic.twitter.com/HtykN5iIAi
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 24, 2026
"There are some interesting candidates out there," Schefter began. "Gardner Minshew is in Arizona. The Cardinals have Jacoby Brissett, they have Carson Beck. And Gardner Minshew played for Matt Nagy in Kansas City. Matt Nagy is now the Giants offensive coordinator and Gardner Minshew also beat John Harbaugh in Baltimore twice."
Minshew, in his first year with the Cardinals, is No. 2 on the Cardinals' QB depth chart behind starter
Brissett. The team drafted Beck in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. In four games (one start) with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025, with Nagy as Chiefs offensive coordinator, Minshew was 6-for-13 for 37 yards.
Minshew had a 71.17% completion percentage and a 4:1 TD:INT ratio against Giants head coach Harbaugh, when Harbaugh was with Baltimore.
According to The Arizona Republic's Cardinals beat writer, Theo Mackie, the move could be intriguing.
From Mackie: "For the Cardinals, trading Minshew makes sense. They signed him to a one-year, $5.7 million contract in March, back before they drafted Carson Beck and agreed to a reworked deal with Jacoby Brissett.
"Brissett is, of course, the starter, while Beck provides upside for the future. Where does that leave Minshew? It’s hard to say. Right now, he’s their backup, but that role only has so much value on a team that is not currently constructed to contend.
"If the Cardinals can recoup a late-round draft pick, it’s an avenue worth exploring."
The Cardinals dropped to 1-1 on the season with a 31-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 20. Minshew is a former Pro Bowl selection, but is 30 years old to Beck's 24.
In 2019 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Minshew threw for 7 yards per pass with 5.1 yards per rush over 14 games (12 starts). Beck excelled at the college level with a 69.5% completion percentage over six years (Georgia for five seasons and Miami for one) with 8.4 yards per pass.
Regardless of whether the Cardinals are shopping Minshew to move on to Beck, the Giants could be desperate for Minshew if what Schefter says about their other candidate is true.
"You could call San Francisco and Mac Jones," Schefter said. "But it's gonna cost you a lot to get him out of there if the 49ers are even willing."
Perhaps that would create leverage for the Cardinals if Minshew is one of few options.
"I think the Giants want to see how this week goes with Jameis Winston before they make any reactions," Shefter said.
The Giants backup quarterback (and now starter), Winston has thrown for 7.6 yards per pass in his 12-year career, but has thrown 114 interceptions in 109 career games.
"But it's a tough spot to be in," Schefter wrote. "Teams are not looking to make trades. In-season quarterback trades rarely work out well, and it puts the Giants — which we already knew — in a very tough spot."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ESPN, Republic experts shed light on possible Cardinals-Giants QB trade
