The New York Giants are trading for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
The Giants are sending a 2027 fifth-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for McCarthy, the sources said.
McCarthy, picked by the Vikings with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft, was the third string quarterback in Minnesota behind starter Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz.
Giants coach John Harbaugh said after Sunday’s victory over the Tennessee Titans that Jameis Winston would remain the Giants’ starter even if the team added another quarterback.
Winston became the starter following the knee injury to Jaxson Dart, who is out for at least the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus and MCL in his left knee on Friday.
McCarthy was coached by Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and now will be coached by John Harbaugh in the NFL with the Giants.
McCarthy lost his starting job with the Vikings in training camp to veteran Kyler Murray and was demoted to third string after an ankle injury kept him out of the Vikings’ final preseason game. His career with the Vikings ended with 10 starts, and his departure comes at an age — 23 years and 9 months — that makes him younger than most of the NFL’s quarterbacks who were selected in the 2026 draft.
But a combination of injuries, poor throwing mechanics and immaturity left the Vikings unwilling to wait on the possibility of future development — making him one of the biggest draft busts in team history. McCarthy is one of four Vikings first-round picks — along Lewis Cine, Dimitrius Underwood and Leo Hayden — to play 10 or fewer games for the team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Among all NFL teams, McCarthy is one of four quarterbacks in the past 25 years to start 10 or fewer games for the team that drafted them, joining Paxton Lynch, Trey Lance and Johnny Manziel, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The list does not include Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, who were traded for each other shortly after being selected in the 2004 draft.
McCarthy’s final appearance in a Vikings uniform, an Aug. 22 preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, encapsulated his tenure. After misfiring on two throws to open receivers in the end zone, McCarthy suffered a mild ankle sprain during a hit in the pocket. He got up from the ground slowly, walked to the sideline and coach Kevin O’Connell ended his day earlier than scheduled.
Winston has struggled since replacing the injured Dart, completing just 51% of his pass attempts for 229 yards with no touchdowns and an interceptions.
The Giants defeated the Titans 12-7 at MetLife Stadium, despite not scoring a touchdown, to improve to 2-1 this season.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.
