J.J. McCarthy is heading to the Big Apple (pending a physical). The Minnesota Vikings traded McCarthy to the New York Giants on Monday for a 2027 fifth-round pick after a Jaxson Dart knee injury left them with struggling veteran Jameis Winston as the starter.
Minnesota took McCarthy 10th overall two years ago. Getting a future fifth for him stings, even if you think it was time to move on.
McCarthy’s draft slot makes this sound like a lineup shakeup, but the Vikings already had him third on the depth chart. Kyler Murray is still the starter. Carson Wentz is still his backup.
Winston is still the Giants quarterback who knows the offense. What it does tell us is what Minnesota thinks its McCarthy plan is worth now, and that goes beyond the quarterback room.
Winner: Kyler Murray - QB
Murray won the job in August, but McCarthy remained on the roster as the guy the Vikings had once picked to lead this offense.
With that question answered, Kevin O’Connell can keep shaping the passing game and revamped run game around Murray without also trying to find out whether McCarthy might be the answer next year.
Murray hasn’t exactly made everyone forget about that question with his play. He went 15-for-29 for 168 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Sunday’s win in Tampa.
Minnesota needed an 86-yard punt-return touchdown from Myles Price, and the offense struggled to stay on the field after Justin Jefferson hurt his ankle. Murray’s 41-yard touchdown to Jordan Addison was a terrific throw. The rest of the afternoon was a lot choppier.
Wentz won twice after Murray’s Week 1 concussion, so Murray still has to earn his starts. He just doesn’t have Minnesota’s former first-round project sitting behind him anymore.
Winner: Carson Wentz - QB
Wentz proved why he was QB2 almost immediately. Murray left the season-opener after 11 snaps, and Wentz threw three touchdown passes in the comeback against Green Bay.
He then started the win in Chicago. That wasn’t pretty offensive football, but O’Connell had a quarterback ready to play.
If Murray misses time again, the Vikings know whose helmet to grab. Max Brosmer is on the practice squad, though, so moving McCarthy leaves less experienced depth behind the two veterans. Murray has already missed a game. Minnesota still has to decide on its third game-day quarterback.
Winner: Sam Darnold - QB
Sam Darnold already got his reward: a Super Bowl title with Seattle. McCarthy’s trade adds an awkward footnote for Minnesota.
The Vikings let a quarterback who had just led them to 14 wins leave as they prepared to turn the job over to McCarthy. Now McCarthy is gone, too.
Darnold’s last two games as a Viking gave Minnesota reason to hesitate, and he chose a starting opportunity in Seattle over Minnesota's offer. There was risk whichever way the Vikings went.
Two seasons later, Darnold has a ring, and Minnesota is trying to make another new quarterback plan work.
Winner: Malik Nabers - WR
Malik Nabers gets another possible passer while Dart recovers. He caught one pass for one yard against the Rams after Dart went down, then five for 26 in Sunday’s win over Tennessee. New York’s best receiver has spent two weeks getting very little from its passing game.
McCarthy hasn’t shown he’s an upgrade on Winston. His accuracy was a problem in Minnesota, and learning a new offense takes time.
The Giants now have someone else to try if Winston can’t move the ball. For Nabers, who’s returning from a serious knee injury of his own, having another option beats watching the same short drives every week.
Loser: Justin Jefferson - WR
Justin Jefferson loses when you look at what Minnesota spent to find out whether McCarthy could run his offense.
Jefferson had 1,533 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024. He finished 2025 with 1,048 yards and two scores as the Vikings worked through injuries and inconsistent quarterback play.
The line had problems, and McCarthy wasn’t responsible for every stalled drive. But a prime Jefferson season went into the evaluation, and the Vikings have come away with a fifth-round pick.
The Jefferson-Wentz connection this season gives Minnesota a real advantage. Murray could build the same trust. First, the Vikings need an update on Jefferson’s ankle; after that, they need their chosen starter to make better use of having Jefferson on the field.
Loser: J.J. McCarthy - QB
McCarthy might eventually win this trade. New York offers a fresh start and, with Dart out, a path toward playing time. Right now, though, being dealt for a fifth-round pick tells you how his time in Minnesota went.
He lost his rookie season to a knee injury. In 10 starts last year, he completed 57.6 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The Vikings’ injured offensive line gave a young quarterback a tough assignment, but it didn’t make every throw accurate.
McCarthy is only 23, and 10 starts aren’t enough for anybody to know his ceiling. The Vikings nevertheless brought in Murray, put Wentz ahead of McCarthy, and moved him three games into this season.
In New York, he’ll have to learn another offense before he can push Winston, but Dart’s injury creates that opening.
Loser: Kevin O’Connell - Head Coach
By the end of 2024, Minnesota had Darnold, Daniel Jones, and McCarthy in its quarterback room. Darnold is in Seattle, Jones is in Indianapolis, and McCarthy is headed to New York.
The Vikings identified three players they wanted in the building and, less than two years later, none remain. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
O’Connell deserves scrutiny beyond the return. He coached Darnold through the best season of his career, then couldn’t get steady play from McCarthy before the Vikings moved to Murray and Wentz.
Minnesota’s 3-0 start gives its current approach a chance. It doesn’t make the quarterback decisions that led here look well handled.
Loser: Jameis Winston - QB
Winston started Sunday’s 12-7 win over Tennessee. Afterward, Giants coach John Harbaugh said he expected Winston to start against Arizona before New York made this trade.
Winston knows the offense and should get the first chance to keep the job. Now he has somebody pushing to be the next choice while Dart is out.
The Giants gained 238 yards and scored no offensive touchdown against the Titans. One start isn’t enough to say McCarthy would do better this soon after a trade.
Winston gets Arizona to show New York’s offense can do more. McCarthy gets another week with the playbook.
If the drives keep dying short of the end zone, the Giants may decide it’s time to see what McCarthy can do.
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