The New York Giants are expected to trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy as they attempt to rebuild their signal-caller group following Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury. The Giants will send the Vikings a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for the former first-round quarterback.
Giants coach John Harbaugh said Monday that the team immediately began trying to expand its quarterback room after Dart went down. Harbaugh also said Jameis Winston — who started in Sunday’s 12-7 win over the Titans — will remain the team’s starting quarterback for their next game against the Cardinals.
“Really happy, very excited to add JJ McCarthy,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s a strong young quarterback. He’s got some experience in the National Football League. Obviously he was a very good draft pick, a very talented player, and he’s going to make us a stronger football team. I’m so excited about it. I think it makes us better and get him here as soon as possible, start working on learning the offense. Obviously it’s going to be a challenge. But we’re going to work on that, and that’s where we’re at are.
McCarthy has the pedigree for a potential mid-career breakthrough as a former No. 10 overall pick, but his career in Minnesota was a failure. It would be a surprise if he ever lived up to the high expectations that followed him out of college. The Giants will give him an opportunity to attempt a career revitalization after sliding to third on the Vikings depth chart behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz.
The Giants now have three former first-round picks on their roster, which puts them in rare company. Only six other teams in the common draft era constructed their offense the same way.
2026 | New York Giants | Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, JJ McCarthy |
2025 | Indianapolis Colts | Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, Philip Rivers |
2018 | Baltimore Ravens | Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco, Robert Griffin III |
2011 | Oakland Raiders | Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell, Kyle Boller |
1989 | New York Jets | Ken O’Brien, Tony Eason, Mark Malone |
1984 | Chicago Bear | Jim McMahon, Steve Fuller, Greg Landry |
1980 | Oakland Raiders | Jim Plunkett, Dan Pastorini, Marc Wilson |
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 missed nearly half of his sophomore season with a concussion, broken wrist and sprained ankle. In the short time he was healthy, McCarthy completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards and 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He also totaled 181 yards and four scores.
The Giants reportedly called the entire league this week looking for 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 long-term upside potential than McCarthy.
Best and worst case scenarios for JJ McCarthy in New York
If this rally turns into a home run, it will be a monumental victory for McCarthy and the Giants. This result would start with McCarthy finally passing Winston for the starting job, finding success in a new offense and leading the Giants to a handful of victories. With the likes of Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo and Isaiah Likely on his team, the talent around him could help unlock the breakthrough season that eluded him in Minnesota. A change of scenery is also enough, in some cases, to move things forward.
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 get back more than the fifth-round pick they traded to acquire him, or they could keep him as a top-tier backup on a deal expiring in 2027.
More realistically, however, the low-stakes bet will not pay dividends. McCarthy couldn’t find his footing even with a superstar receiver in Justin Jefferson alongside him, so in that context, there’s no reason to expect him to step up without arguably the best wideout in the sport. His development could be permanently stunted due to recurring injuries, and he might struggle to stay on rosters beyond the end of his contract. There’s no guarantee he’ll surpass Winston and retain the starting role in the first place.
JJ McCarthy becomes latest to play for both Harbaugh brothers
John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh tend to keep tabs on each other when it comes to personnel moves. They are known to consult on player acquisitions, and given that McCarthy won a College Football Playoff national championship with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, it’s hard to imagine that John Harbaugh didn’t contact his brother about the type of quarterback he might receive if his team pulled off the trade.
McCarthy joins a long list of players to call both brothers their coach. The following are some of the other notables who have played for both.
Perhaps that should inspire optimism about McCarthy’s prospects in New York. The last coach to get the most out of him was a guy named Harbaugh, so maybe the other one can rekindle some of that fire. Certainly, there is a difference between winning a championship with McCarthy at the college level and winning games with him in the NFL.
JJ McCarthy’s stock plummets in just two years
Just two years ago, McCarthy left the draft board as the No. 10 pick in a class that produced six first-round quarterbacks. He is now a backup who has commanded a fifth round on the trade market. The Vikings cut bait after just 10 starts, accepted their failure by using a first-round pick on a bust and opted to move forward with Murray and Wentz.
McCarthy didn’t play enough in 2025 to qualify, but his 35.6 QBR in his lone season of action with the Vikings would have ranked him 27th in the NFL, ahead of only Geno Smith and Cam Ward. It was all Minnesota needed to see to move away from him, and it was all the rest of the league needed to see to reset its value.
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