Desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures.
The Giants trading for J.J. McCarthy applies here.
In need of a backup quarterback, the Giants sent a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to the Vikings for McCarthy, who had been a colossal bust during his two-plus years in Minnesota. McCarthy joins a quarterback room devoid of Jaxson Dart — out for the season following knee surgery — and will try to learn the playbook as Jameis Winston continues to start.
Once Dart went down and out, the Giants knew they needed a better option behind Winston than Jake Haener, a 27-year-old with one NFL start, who was waived and will return to the practice squad. McCarthy has talent but that the Vikings were willing to give up on him so quickly after making him the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft indicates how swiftly he fell out of favor with head coach Kevin O’Connell, who is known for his ability to work with and improve quarterbacks.
McCarthy, 23, is four months older than Dart and he has been through the NFL ringer. He won a national championship at Michigan and went 27-1 as the starter, playing for Jim Harbaugh, the younger brother of Giants head coach John Harbaugh. So, John Harbaugh was able to receive plenty of inside information as to McCarthy’s talent and makeup from Jim Harbaugh.
The Giants scouted McCarthy heavily leading into the 2024 draft, as they certainly were in the quarterback market. They could not get in position to take their top-rated quarterbacks, as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye went 1, 2, 3 to the Bears, Commanders and Patriots, respectively. The Giants owned the No. 6 overall pick and could have taken McCarthy but they passed on him and opted for wide receiver Malik Nabers. McCarthy went four spots later to the Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) looks on prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, Sunday, September 27, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It is believed the Giants had a second-round grade on McCarthy and they had reservations about his mental makeup and how he would fare playing the fishbowl of the New York/New Jersey market. McCarthy as the backup to Sam Darnold missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury. The Vikings despite going 14-3 traded Darnold to the Seahawks and named McCarthy as their starting quarterback. It turned out to be a huge miscalculation.
McCarthy, who is 6-4 as a starter, won his NFL debut with a comeback victory over the Bears and was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. It went downhill rather rapidly from there. He missed five games with a high ankle sprain and one more with a fracture in his right hand. In 10 starts, he completed 57.4 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions for a passer rating of 72.6. He struggled mightily with ball placement and accuracy and held onto the ball too long in the pocket.
The Vikings signed Kyler Murray in free agency and McCarthy dropped so low on the depth chart that he was the No. 3 quarterback, behind Murray and Carson Wentz. That made McCarthy expendable.
Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (19) looks for the open man as offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) tries to keep Titans defensive end Jermaine Johnson II (11) from rushing during the first quarter of a game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
McCarthy at 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds is athletic and gives the Giants a much more mobile option than Winston, who at this stage of his career is mostly a pocket passer. Winston, making his first start this season in place of Dart, played in the wind and rain this past Sunday and completed 11 of 22 passes for 118 yards, failing to get his team in the end zone in a 12-7 victory over the Titans. Winston did not turn the ball over, though, and the Giants’ coaching staff was pleased with that.
It will take McCarthy time to learn the offensive system designed by John Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan and senior offensive assistant Greg Roman, who is a running game specialist. At this point, there is no expectation that Winston’s hold on the starting job is in jeopardy. McCarthy adds some talent to the position group and where it goes from there remains to be seen.