Giants to trade for Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy, per report

The New York Giants are set to trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy as they attempt to rebuild their signal-caller group in the wake of Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury. The Giants will send a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to the Vikings in exchange for the former first-round quarterback. 

Giants coach John Harbaugh said on Monday the team immediately began the process of trying to add to their quarterback room after Dart went down. Harbaugh also said that Jameis Winston — who started during Sunday’s 12-7 win over the Titans — will remain the team’s starting quarterback for their upcoming game against the Cardinals.

“Really happy, very excited to add J.J. McCarthy,” Harbaugh said. “Think he’s a strong young quarterback. Has some experience in National Football League. Obviously, was a very high draft pick, very talented player, and is going to make us a stronger football team. So excited about it. Think it makes us better and get him in here as soon as we can, get to work on learning the offense. Obviously, that’s going to be a challenge. But we’ll go to work on that, and that’s where we’re at.” 

McCarthy has the pedigree of a potential mid-career breakout as a former No. 10 overall pick, but his Minnesota career was a bust. It would be a surprise if he ever delivered on the high expectations that followed him out of college. The Giants will give him an opportunity to attempt a career revitalization after he slipped to No. 3 on the Vikings’ depth chart behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz.

The Giants now have three former first-round picks on their roster, which places them in rare company. Only six other teams in the common draft era constructed their offense in the same fashion.

Injuries derailed McCarthy’s tenure in Minnesota and limited him to just 10 starts over two-plus seasons. He missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn meniscus, and sat nearly half of his second season due to a concussion, wrist fracture and ankle sprain. In the small amount of time he was healthy, McCarthy completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards and 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 181 yards and four scores.

The Giants reportedly made calls across the league this week in search of an addition to their quarterback group and landed on McCarthy over other backups like Justin Fields, Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew II and Mac Jones, all of whom have more experience but less potential long-term upside than McCarthy.

Best-case, worst-case scenarios for J.J. McCarthy in New York

If this trade turns into a home run, it is a monumental win for both McCarthy and the Giants. That outcome would start with McCarthy eventually overtaking Winston for the starting job, finding success in a new offense and leading the Giants to a handful of wins. With standouts including Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo and Isaiah Likely on his squad, the talent around him could help unlock the breakthrough season that evaded him in Minnesota. A change of scenery is also, in some cases, all it takes to spark progress.

Not only would McCarthy establish himself as a viable starter heading into the final year of his contract, but the Giants would also have tremendous flexibility. They could flip him again and recoup more than the fifth-round pick they traded to acquire him, or they could hold onto him as a premier backup on an expiring deal in 2027.

More realistically, though, the low-stakes bet will not pay dividends. McCarthy could not find his footing even with a superstar receiver in Justin Jefferson by his side, so in that context there is no reason to expect him to reach a new gear without arguably the best wideout in the sport. His development might be permanently stunted because of the recurring injuries, and he could struggle to stay on rosters beyond the end of his contract. It is no guarantee that he will outperform Winston and hold onto the starting role in the first place.

J.J. McCarthy becomes latest to play for both Harbaugh brothers

John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh have a tendency to look out for each other when it comes to personnel moves. They are known to consult with each other on player acquisitions, and considering McCarthy won a College Football Playoff national championship with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, it is hard to imagine John Harbaugh did not touch base with his brother on what kind of quarterback he might receive if his team pulled off the trade.

McCarthy joins a laundry list of players to call both brothers their coach. The following are among the notable others who played for both of them.

Perhaps this should provide optimism for McCarthy’s outlook in New York. The last coach to get the most out of him was a Harbaugh, so maybe the other can rekindle some of that fire. Granted, there is a difference between winning a championship with McCarthy at the college level and winning games with him in the NFL.

J.J. McCarthy’s value plummets in just two years

It was only two years ago that McCarthy flew off the draft board as the No. 10 pick in a class that produced six first-round quarterbacks. Now he is a backup who commanded a fifth-rounder on the trade market. The Vikings cut bait after just 10 starts, accepted their failure in using a top pick on a bust and elected to move forward with Murray and Wentz.

McCarthy did not play enough in 2025 to qualify, but his 35.6 QBR in his only season of action with the Vikings would have ranked 27th in the NFL, ahead of only Geno Smith and Cam Ward. That was all Minnesota needed to see in order to move on from him, and it was all the rest of the league needed to see to reset his value.