Giants Trade for J.J. McCarthy With Winston Set to Start

The Giants acquired J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round pick after Jaxson Dart's season-ending knee injury, with Jameis Winston still starting.

The New York Giants acquired quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings on Monday in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick, with the deal pending a physical. The move came one day after the Giants (2-1) beat the Titans 12-7 with Jameis Winston at quarterback, and days after starter Jaxson Dart was lost for the season to knee surgery. McCarthy joins a quarterback room that also lost backup Jake Haener, who was waived Monday and is expected to re-sign to the practice squad.

Minnesota made McCarthy the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 draft, yet the Vikings were willing to move on after barely two-plus seasons. He was signed by the Giants despite never having held the Vikings' starting job long: after missing his entire rookie year with a knee injury, he started 10 games in 2025, completing roughly 57.4 to 57.6 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, then fell to third on the 2026 depth chart behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz. The New York Post reports the Giants once held a second-round grade on McCarthy and had reservations about how he would handle the New York market — concerns the trade now set aside.

Head coach John Harbaugh said general manager Joe Schoen and the team's high-level scouts brought McCarthy's name forward soon after Dart was hurt in the Week 2 loss to the Rams. "They felt very strongly he was going to be a good option," Harbaugh said, calling McCarthy "a strong young quarterback … very talented player." The Michigan connection mattered: McCarthy went 27-1 as a starter and won a national championship under Jim Harbaugh, John's brother, who according to reporting via Jay Glazer of FOX Sports was consulted on the deal. Harbaugh added that Jim "always had good things to say about J.J."

At 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, McCarthy offers mobility the Giants' current options lack. His 2025 season showed both promise and problems: he won his NFL debut over the Bears with a fourth-quarter comeback that earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, becoming the first player in NFL history to score three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in the fourth quarter of his debut. But a high ankle sprain cost him five games and a hand fracture one more, and he struggled with ball placement, finishing 6-4 as a starter with a 72.6 passer rating. McCarthy has won his last four starts, most recently a 16-3 victory over the Packers, according to giants.com.

Harbaugh was explicit that Winston remains the starter "for as long as I can see into the future," but analysts see the clock ticking. Winston has completed 25 of 49 passes for 229 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception this season. With the Giants holding the No. 7 seed in the NFC, spending draft capital signals the organization intends to compete in 2026 rather than merely survive Dart's absence.

The Giants will decide later in the week whether McCarthy or Haener serves as Winston's backup for Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals (1-2). Harbaugh acknowledged the immediate challenge is learning Matt Nagy's playbook, calling it "going to be a challenge, but we'll go to work on that." In Minnesota, the trade confirms the Vikings will not continue developing McCarthy; they move forward with Kyler Murray on a one-year deal and Carson Wentz, with Pro Football Rumors noting McCarthy's contract runs at a low cost — roughly $1.08 million in prorated 2026 salary — through 2027.