The Minnesota Vikings have traded quarterback J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick, the team announced Monday. The deal is pending McCarthy passing a physical.
A Giants team in need
The Giants’ interest comes from an injury. New York lost Jaxson Dart for the season a week earlier to a knee injury that requires surgery. Since then, Jameis Winston has struggled as Dart’s replacement, completing just 51% of his passes with no touchdowns and an interception.
The Giants reportedly canvassed the league for help and chose McCarthy over more experienced backups like Justin Fields, Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew II, and Mac Jones, who have less long-term upside. Whether McCarthy takes over as the starter remains to be seen.
There is also a family connection. McCarthy, 23, played for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and will now be coached by Jim’s brother, John Harbaugh. McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh won a national championship together in 2023.
How it fell apart in Minnesota
The Vikings drafted McCarthy 10th overall in 2024. He spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve with a knee injury suffered in the first preseason game. His 2025 debut went well: he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for helping Minnesota to a Monday Night Football comeback win.
The rest of the season was rockier. In 10 starts, McCarthy completed 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also missed seven games and left two others early because of injuries. Among qualified quarterbacks, he ranked last in completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio and passer rating.
This offseason, McCarthy competed with free-agent addition Kyler Murray for the starting job, and the Vikings named Murray the starter on Aug. 11. McCarthy then slid further. He dropped to third string when Carson Wentz stepped in for an injured Murray. His last appearance as a Viking, an Aug. 22 preseason game against Baltimore, ended when he suffered a mild ankle sprain after missing two throws to open receivers in the end zone.
A historically short run
McCarthy is one of four quarterbacks in the past 25 years to start 10 or fewer games for the team that drafted him, joining Paxton Lynch, Trey Lance and Johnny Manziel.
What each side gets
Analysts see it as a reasonable outcome for both teams. One take argued McCarthy’s trade value was essentially nonexistent, so getting anything back is a win for Minnesota. Another noted the move ends the speculation over McCarthy’s future and removes any real chance of a quarterback controversy this season.
For the Giants, the upside is considerable. If McCarthy succeeds, he could establish himself as a viable starter heading into the final year of his contract, or New York could flip him for more than the fifth-round pick it paid. But there are no guarantees. It’s unclear whether McCarthy will overtake Winston, and there’s no promise he’s an upgrade.
The Giants are betting that Minnesota gave up on the young quarterback too soon, and that John Harbaugh can get the consistency Kevin O’Connell couldn’t.
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