The New York Giants have acquired quarterback JJ McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. The Vikings announced the trade on Monday pending McCarthy passing a physical. The Giants made the aggressive move days after Jaxson Dart had surgery on his left knee that will sideline him for at least the rest of the regular season.
Jameis Winston started and led the Giants to victory over Tennessee on Sunday, but the team failed to score a touchdown and had just 238 yards of offense. Coach John Harbaugh said after the game – and before the McCarthy trade was announced – that Winston would start again this Sunday against Arizona. It’s unclear what New York’s QB situation will be moving forward after the addition of McCarthy.
He was the 10th pick in the 2024 draft but lost the starting job in Minnesota to Kyler Murray and fell behind Carson Wentz on the depth chart. McCarthy’s career in Minnesota will go down as a failure. He was hampered by poor form, injuries and perceived immaturity during his time with the Vikings.
He played just 10 games and so far has thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11) in the NFL. Just 23, McCarthy still has plenty of time to develop. As a college quarterback, he won a national title at Michigan, where his coach was John Harbaugh’s brother, Jim.
McCarthy lost only three games as the starter through high school and college, including a 27-1 record at Michigan on the way to the championship, but he came to the Vikings with minimal experience as a pro-style passer after being in Jim Harbaugh’s run-heavy offense. The energy and toughness that helped McCarthy become a winner and a leader at the lower levels worked against him at times last season, with a tendency for recklessness and a pattern of inaccuracy that contributed to his disappointing debut. Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell’s credentials as a play designer, play caller and QB mentor gave the Vikings plenty of confidence that McCarthy could thrive with them, but a torn meniscus in his first preseason game required surgery and delayed his first professional game until September 2025.
The success Sam Darnold had under O’Connell in 2024 contributed to the decision to let him leave as a free agent and build around McCarthy and his salary cap-friendly rookie contract, but the combination of immaturity, inexperience and injuries was too much for the Vikings to overcome last year. McCarthy missed time because of a sprained ankle, a concussion and a broken hand. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is out at least three weeks with a dislocated thumb injury, Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said Monday.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
