J.J. McCarthy trade: Giants acquire quarterback from Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy | Getty Images

The New York Giants are acquiring quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings, per a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Per Jordan Schultz, the Giants are sending a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Vikings for McCarthy.

The Giants, of course, lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart for the season with a knee injury during their Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Jameis Winston's play since has been uninspiring, and the only other quarterback on the roster was journeyman Jake Haener.

The Giants had an opportunity to draft the 23-year-old McCarthy out of Michigan with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They passed on McCarthy, as well as Bo Nix and Michael Penix, to select wide receiver Malik Nabers. The Vikings took McCarthy No. 10 overall.

That, of course, worked out well for the Giants. Nabers had a sensational rookie season, and the Giants were able to move up in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Dart as their quarterback of the future.

Things did not go well for McCarthy in Minnesota.

McCarthy missed all of his rookie season with a torn meniscus in his right knee. He started 10 games for the Vikings last season, compiling a 6-4 record. He completed 140 of 243 passes (jusy 57.6%) for 1,623 yards with 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 72.6 passer rating.

This offseason, the Vikings signed veteran Kyler Murray as a free agent. McCarthy not only lost a competition with Murray for the starting job, but ended up as the No. 3 quarterback in Minnesota behind Murray and Carson Wentz.

Now, he will join the Giants.

Valentine's View

While I figured the Giants were going to be aggressive in the quarterback market after McCarthy's injury, this is not a move I expected them to make.

The Giants spent a massive amount of time with McCarthy prior to the 2024 draft, concluding in the end that he was not the right quarterback for them.

Maybe the Dart injury, and what they saw on the market made them view McCarthy differently. Maybe John Harbaugh had a different impression of McCarthy than Joe Schoen and the Giants' scouts when the Ravens studied him in 2024. Maybe Harbaugh's brother, Jim, gave his brother a glowing recommendation of McCarthy.

Maybe the idea of adding another 23-year-old quarterback with NFL experience and upside was too good for the Giants to pass up. Both as a hedge against Winston's ups and downs, and perhaps as a long-term option if Dart doesn't become what the Giants believe he will.

I have mixed feelings about the trade. If McCarthy couldn't handle Minnesota or succeed with quarterback guru Kevin O'Connell as his coach, what makes the Giants believe he can succeed in New York? Does this open them to questions about whether they full believe in Dart's future?

I can't blame them for taking a big swing and getting the best quarterback they could get. And, I certainly think this is a better swing than Justin Fields or Gardner Minshew. It just comes with a lot of questions.

Vote in the poll and let us know what you think of the move, Giants fans.