Giants Eye Joe Flacco After Jaxson Dart Injury: A Potential Reunion?

The New York Giants ' 2026 campaign now feels like it's in danger, as quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a knee injury that will knock him out for the entire season.

ESPN reports that Dart's ACL is intact, but he suffered damage to his MCL, PCL and meniscus while taking a hit during Monday night's loss to the Los Angeles Rams . The meniscus is reported to be the main issue. Now, John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy shift their attention to Jameis Winston  — a veteran backup quarterback the organization has trust in.

Winston spent last year with the Giants, and actually signed a two-year, $13 million extension to remain Dart's backup in New York. While he's certainly one of the most "talented" backup quarterbacks in the NFL , there's no denying Winston is a bit of a wild card.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft will take chances downfield that sometimes turn into turnovers. In relief of Dart Monday night, Winston struggled, throwing for 111 yards and one interception on 11-of-27 passing as the Giants lost 28-6. Winston made the Pro Bowl as a rookie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers  after throwing for 4,042 yards, 22 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, but also became the first quarterback to register a "30 and 30" season in 2019, throwing for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

There are worse options than Winston at quarterback, but there are better options as well. If he flounders on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans , could the Giants explore other avenues? Tyler Huntley , Mac Jones and Anthony Richardson are logical options, but the most logical option could be Joe Flacco  of the Cincinnati Bengals . The 41-year-old won a Super Bowl with Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens  in 2013, and he has shown he can join a team midseason and make a positive impact.

There are both pros and cons to trading for Flacco. Let's dig in.

Pro: He's still good

The Bengals have one of the best quarterback situations in the NFL, and that's not just because Joe Burrow is a star. It's also because he has Flacco as his backup. When Burrow missed nine games last year due to a toe injury, the Bengals executed an intra-division trade with the Cleveland Browns to acquire Flacco because Jake Browning wasn't cutting it.

In his second start with the Bengals, Flacco threw for 342 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and registered his 30th career game-winning drive in an upset of the rival Pittsburgh Steelers . Two weeks later, Flacco became the fifth player in NFL history to throw for 470 yards and four touchdowns while scoring 40 points ... in a loss. Over his six starts with the Bengals in 2025, Flacco averaged 272.7 passing yards per game with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He only won one of those six starts because of the Bengals' historically bad defense, but there's no denying Flacco was a plus for the offense.

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Con: He would be expensive

The Bengals don't want to part ways with Flacco; they re-signed him for a reason. Cincy has Super Bowl aspirations in 2026 with this revamped defense that has looked incredible through two weeks, and the Bengals have a backup quarterback plan should the oft-injured Burrow go down. Trading for Flacco would not cost the Giants a late-round pick swap. It would probably cost more than that.

Do you want to pay a relatively high price for an older quarterback? We don't even know if the Giants have the ceiling of being a playoff team.

Pro: Familiarity with Harbaugh

Flacco and Harbaugh came to Baltimore together in 2008. The No. 18 overall pick out of Delaware actually started in the season opener that year after Kyle Boller was injured in the preseason, and Troy Smith contracted a rare disease called Lemierre's syndrome. Flacco won that first career start against the Bengals, and the rest was history.

Flacco went 96-67 as the starter in Baltimore, and 10-6 in the playoffs — including the Super Bowl XLVII victory in which he won MVP. It would be poetic if Flacco came in to help Harbaugh during his first season with the Giants, much like he did during Harbaugh's first season with the Ravens.

Con: He's 41

Father Time is undefeated, and Flacco is now older than he's ever been at 41 years old. It wouldn't shock anyone if last year's fun run in Cincy was a proverbial last gasp.

It would be quite the headline if New York were to acquire Flacco, but perhaps the best option is to keep your draft capital and move forward with the quarterback who knows your system.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/pros-and-cons-of-giants-trade-bengals-joe-flacco-jaxson-dart/)._