J.J. McCarthy is getting a much-needed fresh start for his NFL career, as the former Michigan quarterback was traded on Monday from the Minnesota Vikings to the New York Giants, according to Jordan Schultz of the Bleacher Report.
McCarthy, who led Michigan football to the national championship during the 2023 season, was drafted 10th overall by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL draft.
McCarthy was supposed to be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Vikings, but things didn't work out that way for a variety of reasons.
BREAKING: The Vikings are trading QB JJ McCarthy to the Giants, per sources. pic.twitter.com/tvy6JLbck3
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 28, 2026
One is that McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason in 2024, putting him on the sidelines for his entire rookie season, costing him critical development time.
After Sam Darnold led the Vikings to the NFC North Title in 2024, the Vikings elected not to re-sign him. Instead, they turned to McCarthy as the starter with mixed results. The former All-Big Ten quarterback went 6-4 in 10 games as a starter. He accounted for three total touchdowns in four of his 10 starts, even winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for three touchdowns and leading a comeback win over the Bears in Week 1 of 2025.
However, McCarthy was injured. The offensive line wasn't very good, and things just never clicked. There were some rough games. McCarthy completed 57.4 percent of his passes. The two-year starter under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan finished 2025 with 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and four rushing touchdowns. He had one game-winning drive and one fourth-quarter comeback.
The New York Giants make perfect sense
New York is the perfect opportunity for McCarthy. Jaxson Dart is out for the season. The Giants have a talented roster and were a team that some suggested could contend for the playoffs, despite the injury to the former Ole Miss quarterback.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh is very familiar with McCarthy. His brother was McCarthy's head coach in college as we referenced. Surely, the two have talked at length about him, and maybe even what wrong in the NFL.
For the Giants, it's a low-risk move. If McCarthy can figure things out this season, that's great, if he starts. Jameis Winston is the starter now. New York is 2-1.
The Giants could certainly contend for a playoff spot. McCarthy could rehab his career if he gets to play. He's 100 percent, so there's a chance. Quarterbacks also tend to get better with experience, although not all.
If McCarthy doesn't work out as a starter, he could still serve as the backup to Dart. If he does play well, maybe he could challenge for the starting job in the future or eventually be traded somewhere else.
It's the definition of a win-win.
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