Vikings Trade J.J. McCarthy to Giants for Fifth-Round Pick

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – The J.J. McCarthy era in Minnesota is over.

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The Vikings traded the former first-round quarterback to the New York Giants on Monday in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The deal is pending McCarthy passing a physical.

The move sends McCarthy to a Giants team looking for help at quarterback. New York lost starter Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury last week, putting veteran Jameis Winston in charge of the offense. Winston is expected to remain the starter for now, but McCarthy gives the Giants another option behind him. New York beat Tennessee on Sunday but managed just 12 points.

Minnesota drafted McCarthy out of Michigan with the 10th overall pick in 2024, but his time with the Vikings never went as planned. He missed his entire rookie season after injuring his knee in his first preseason game. He returned as the starter last fall, going 6-4 in 10 starts while completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Injuries continued to slow him throughout the season.

This past offseason, the Vikings signed Kyler Murray, who beat out McCarthy for the starting job. McCarthy later slipped behind Carson Wentz as well, leaving him third on the depth chart.

The trade reunites McCarthy with the Harbaugh family. Giants head coach John Harbaugh is the older brother of Jim Harbaugh, who coached McCarthy to a national championship at Michigan.

McCarthy is 23 years old.