The Giants moved quickly to patch a quarterback room that has been turned upside down by Jaxson Dart’s knee injury, and they did it by landing a former top-10 pick.
New York is acquiring JJ McCarthy from the Vikings in exchange for a fifth-round pick, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Adam Schefter and Mike Garafolo reported the same move.
With Dart out for the season after getting hurt against the Rams in Week 2 and later needing season-ending surgery, the Giants had already turned to Jameis Winston as their starter. Now they’ve added a new name behind him.
McCarthy entered the league as a first-round pick out of Michigan in 2024, when Minnesota selected him 10th overall. But this season, he had slipped to third on the Vikings’ depth chart and was buried behind other options at the position. A change was coming, and it arrived in the form of a trade.
The Giants had already been tied to other quarterbacks this month, including two veteran backups ESPN’s Adam Schefter mentioned as possible trade targets just days earlier. Instead, New York went younger. Rapoport described the deal as “an intriguing add” for a quarterback room that needed help fast.
McCarthy brings a résumé that still carries plenty of weight. He won a national championship at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh in 2023, going 15-0 and beating Washington in the title game. Giants head coach John Harbaugh is Jim’s brother, though that’s where the connection ends.
For now, Winston is expected to remain the starter, with McCarthy stepping in as the primary backup. That setup only became necessary because Dart’s injury turned out far worse than the Giants initially hoped. What began as a knee issue in Week 2 ended with surgery and a season cut short only a few weeks into his second year with the team.
The move gives New York a younger, cheaper quarterback option to develop while Winston handles the starting job. Whether McCarthy actually plays this season is still up in the air, and that will depend on how Winston performs and how Dart’s recovery unfolds.
Minnesota, meanwhile, parts with a 23-year-old former first-rounder who never settled into a steady role there. His future had become cloudy by the week, and now he gets a fresh start in New York. With a full rookie contract still ahead of him, McCarthy arrives as a potential answer if the Giants need one later this season.
In Other News...
Vikings Win Came With A Bigger NFC Twist Fans Will Notice
Minnesotas win in Week 3 did more than help the Vikings in the standings, it may have altered the NFC picture in a way fans around the league will be watching closely. Late in the fourth quarter against Tampa Bay, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was hit while throwing the ball and came away with a dislocated right thumb, a tough break for a team that had already spent the afternoon trying to keep pace.
Mayfield is expected to miss time and will undergo an MRI to determine how serious the injury is, leaving Tampa Bay to lean on rookie backup Jalon Daniels for the rest of the game and, for now, possibly beyond. For Minnesota, the immediate result was a win, but the ripple effect could be just as important if the Buccaneers are suddenly forced to navigate a stretch without their starting quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
J.J. McCarthy Just Entered A Trade Debate Vikings Fans Can't Ignore
The Giants quarterback search has taken on a familiar shape after Jaxson Darts season-ending injury, and J.J. McCarthy has surfaced as one of the names in the mix. For Vikings fans, that alone is enough to make the situation worth watching, because it places a young quarterback still tied to Minnesotas long-term plans into a broader market conversation alongside Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew II, Mac Jones and Justin Fields.
What happens next could hinge on how Jameis Winston looks and how much it would cost to pry away any of the available options. For Minnesota, McCarthys inclusion is the part that matters most, since it means the Vikings may have to at least listen if the Giants decide to press harder for a deal. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Jefferson's Early Exit Leaves Vikings Facing A Bigger Concern
Justin Jeffersons afternoon ended much earlier than Minnesota wanted, and the timing could not have been worse. The star receiver was downgraded to out against the Buccaneers after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter, leaving the Vikings to manage a passing attack that has already been sitting near the bottom of the league in passing yards and completion percentage. Before departing, Jefferson caught two passes for 32 yards and was later seen walking to the locker room midway through the second quarter.
The loss of Jefferson changes the entire shape of Minnesotas offense, because so much of the passing game is built around his ability to stretch coverage and create answers when the pocket gets messy. Even with Kyler Murray back after going through concussion protocol, the Vikings were forced to move forward without the player who usually gives the quarterback his safest and most explosive target, and that is a problem with bigger implications than one game. [Read more 🡒]