In his first public remarks since being traded from the Vikings to the Giants on Monday, quarterback J.J. McCarthy admitted he was surprised by the move.
“When I got the call here, it was a shock,” McCarthy said (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). “I didn’t anticipate it, but at the end of the day, it’s an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to take advantage of. And I love these guys already and I can’t wait to do it for them.”
Minnesota selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick of the 2024 draft, but the Michigan product missed his entire rookie year as a result of a meniscus tear. His 2025 season featured generally uninspiring play amidst more missed time due to injury, prompting the Vikings to bring in Kyler Murray to operate as their starting signal-caller. The club also re-signed Carson Wentz and installed him as Murray’s backup, relegating McCarthy to third-string duties.
In that context, much of the football world was not as surprised by the trade as McCarthy himself. Still, the 23-year-old did not want to delve too deeply into the issues that led to his ouster from the Vikings, who very recently believed he could grow into their franchise passer.
“There’s a multitude of things you could think of [why it didn’t work out], but at the end of the day, it’s all in the past,” he said. “And all I care about is what’s important now — that next rep, that next meeting, that next game. And that’s really all I’m focused on.”
Raanan previously confirmed the McCarthy acquisition has no effect on the Giants’ future plans for Jaxson Dart. Instead, the move was seen as a low-risk opportunity to fortify a QB room that will be without Dart for the rest of the ‘26 campaign due to his own meniscus tear (along with an MCL tear and PCL issues). Outside of Jameis Winston, the only other passer on the roster prior to the McCarthy trade was Jake Haener.
The Giants just authorized a two-year, $13MM extension for Winston in early September, and Jonathan Jones of The Athletic says the former No. 1 overall pick will remain in the starting lineup “until he loses the job.” Per Jones, it will take weeks for McCarthy to become sufficiently comfortable with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s playbook.
Even if McCarthy does not see the field for Big Blue, Jones believes New York can recoup its investment in the offseason. While Jones’ sources believed the Vikings were not going to be able to do better than a sixth-rounder in a McCarthy swap this year, Jones says the Giants could flip him in 2027 and get their fifth-rounder back if they are so inclined. That would be akin to the Browns’ recent approach with Kenny Pickett, whom they acquired for a fifth-round pick last March and then traded for a fifth-round pick five months later.