What did the Vikings learn about J.J. McCarthy before trading him?

The Minnesota Vikings traded J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick on Monday. The Vikings had seen enough to put Murray and Wentz ahead of McCarthy. After only 10 starts, they hadn’t seen enough to say he’d never catch up.

McCarthy is just 23. A knee injury wiped out his rookie season, and he started only 10 games in 2025. For Vikings fans wondering whether he got a real shot, I get it. But after the Giants showed interest in McCarthy, Minnesota had to decide what another year behind two quarterbacks would do for him.

I think the Vikings learned enough to doubt McCarthy was their best option right now. They didn’t get enough healthy, uninterrupted football to settle what he could be three years from now. A fifth-rounder feels awfully light for the quarterback they took 10th overall, but that draft slot couldn’t get him onto the field.

Kevin O’Connell saw J.J. McCarthy improve, but the Minnesota Vikings still moved on

General manager Nolan Teasley got at the problem in his post-trade discussion of McCarthy. “The young players need to play to get better,” he said while talking about the limits of offseason practice, adding that “contracts aren’t infinite either.” Teasley didn’t say exactly how many useful practice reps McCarthy was getting, but every week McCarthy spent at No. 3 was another week he couldn’t show what he’d learned in a game.

The Vikings saw McCarthy go 6-4 as a starter in 2025, including that terrific fourth-quarter comeback in his debut that pumped up fans. He also completed 57.6 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those numbers gave Minnesota reason to want a more reliable quarterback. Ten starts interrupted by injuries tell us plenty about his struggles, but not where he’ll finish.

Kevin O’Connell’s comments help explain why those two judgments can coexist. Even after the trade, he stood by the evaluation that brought McCarthy to Minnesota.

“We felt really good about the process that went into selecting him,” O’Connell said.

That’s a defense of the work behind the pick, though it doesn’t establish that the pick would have worked out. O’Connell also said, “I think he’s improved this offseason.” Improvement is critical, but a quarterback can get better and still fall behind the players his team trusts to win now. The trade doesn’t erase that progress, and the progress didn’t guarantee McCarthy another chance to start.

O’Connell’s most revealing answer addressed the development plan the Vikings never got to carry out as intended.

“I would love to be able to go back and change some of the circumstances that maybe hindered our ability to see it through the exact way you would want to help him reach his potential as fast and as early as possible within the timeline to also coincide with us winning and what’s best for the organization.”

The winning part belongs in this discussion just as much as the regret. O’Connell wanted to help McCarthy reach his potential, but he also needed that development to fit the Vikings’ competitive timeline. His answer acknowledges the disruption without telling us how McCarthy would have played if everything had gone according to plan. It also leaves open how much weight Minnesota gave those circumstances when deciding to move on.

“I was very encouraged, and I still think J.J. has a bright future in this league,” O’Connell said.

It's fair for fans to question why a coach who believes that would agree to trade him. But believing McCarthy can eventually succeed doesn’t require O’Connell to keep starting him -- or promise him another opportunity -- while waiting to see how the story ends. These comments leave room for a good quarterback to emerge elsewhere, but they don’t establish that he will.

Max Brosmer takes McCarthy’s place in Vikings’ quarterback room

The No. 3 spot had real value for Minnesota, which proved itself almost immediately. Murray entered concussion protocol in Week 1, and Wentz started Week 2. I wouldn’t shrug off losing that insurance. The Vikings signed Max Brosmer to the active roster to make up for it. But a young quarterback can prepare every week and still be no closer to answering the questions that only game snaps can provide.

McCarthy’s rookie deal runs through 2027, so Minnesota still had time to wait for an injury or another shot at the starting job. Neither opportunity was guaranteed. With Jaxson Dart out for the season, the Giants have a more immediate reason to evaluate McCarthy. Whether he actually gets that chance -- and what he does with it -- will tell us more about how much the Vikings gave up beyond their third quarterback.

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