The New York Giants enter the final stretch before the NFL trade deadline still sorting through the fallout from a turbulent start at quarterback.
Jaxson Dart’s season-ending knee injury in Week 2 forced an abrupt pivot, and the subsequent acquisition of J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings has given Big Blue a young starter who has already delivered a notable win.
Yet the position remains thin enough that any further injury could quickly reopen questions about the rest of the season, which is why external analysis continues to link the Giants to veteran options even after they have already made one quarterback move.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen ranked Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins 22nd on their list of the top 25 trade candidates, placing the Giants among the suggested landing spots alongside the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings.
Fowler noted that Cousins has played well enough through seven games to hold trade value, particularly given a reworked contract that now carries only a $1.3 million base salary, and he observed that the Raiders could lean on Aidan O’Connell as a bridge if they elevate rookie Fernando Mendoza.
Bowen described Cousins on tape as a pocket thrower who wins with timing and ball location, capable of reading the field post-snap and distributing the ball effectively while fitting best in a play-action-heavy system.
The veteran has thrown 16 touchdown passes against five interceptions this season.
The analysts assigned only a 20 percent chance that Cousins actually moves, underscoring that the Raiders have not planned to be especially active.
From the Giants’ perspective, the connection is more about contingency than a clear starting-job opening.
McCarthy has the early returns and the draft pedigree, but Cousins would arrive as an experienced distributor who could stabilize the offense if the young quarterback falters or is forced out.
His familiarity with the NFC East from years in Washington could ease the transition, and the low remaining salary makes the financial fit manageable for a team that has already invested draft capital elsewhere.
At the same time, the limited upside in mobility and the reality that Cousins would likely move from a starting role in Las Vegas to a backup or insurance role in New York make the match imperfect.
With the deadline still days away and Fowler’s low projected odds, the Giants appear more likely to monitor the situation than to force a deal, yet the mere listing keeps the possibility on the table should McCarthy’s health or performance shift the calculus in the weeks ahead.
We’ll see what New York decides to do before Nov. 10.
