Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterback J.J. McCarthy parted ways this week, with McCarthy landing on a New York Giants roster now led by head coach John Harbaugh.
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The Vikings officially traded McCarthy to the Giants on Monday in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick, a deal that remains pending McCarthy passing a physical. NFL insider Ralph Vacchiano summarized the weight of the move on X.
“You know, we tried to do everything we could, collaborate with a plan for amongst coaches, amongst, you know, everybody in this building to try to put him in position to develop and grow. And I do think, you know, I do think he did. I do think he did develop and grow. And I think he improved. I think he’s improved this offseason,” O’Connell said during the press conference.
McCarthy’s path to this point had been rocky from the start. Minnesota selected him 10th overall out of Michigan in the 2024 draft, but a knee injury in his first preseason game wiped out his entire rookie season. He finally debuted in Week 1 of 2025, throwing for 143 yards and two touchdowns in a comeback win that earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, before a high ankle sprain cost him five more games. He finished his Minnesota tenure with 10 career starts, a 6-4 record, and 1,632 passing yards with 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
This offseason ultimately sealed his exit. McCarthy lost the starting job to newcomer Kyler Murray and eventually fell behind veteran Carson Wentz on the depth chart. O’Connell admitted the entire situation had him second-guessing specific decisions along the way.
“J.J. and I talked about, you know, that this morning of, you know, do I wish I took him out of that first preseason game earlier? You know, whatever it may be, like, that’s where your mind goes.”
The trade came together quickly once the Giants found themselves in need of quarterback depth. New York starter Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 against the Rams and was ruled out for the rest of the year, leaving Harbaugh’s staff searching for a reliable option behind Jameis Winston. Harbaugh addressed the move directly with reporters once the deal closed.
“We’ve been talking about it for ever since. I think Jackson got hurt that we would need to add quarterbacks. That’s part of the process. We’ve been turning over every stone. This was an opportunity that kind of came up, and able to finish the deal off this morning, late morning. Really glad, really happy, very excited to add JJ McCarthy. I think he’s a strong young quarterback, has some experience in National Football League, obviously was a very high draft pick, very talented player, and is going to make us a stronger football team.”
The trade carries an added layer of storyline given McCarthy’s college background. He played under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, winning a national championship before entering the draft, and now finds himself with Jim’s brother John running his new team in New York.
Harbaugh said McCarthy would compete for a backup role behind Jake Haener, with Jameis Winston as starter, while the team focuses on integrating McCarthy.
“Get him in here as soon as we can, get to work on learning the offense. Obviously, that’s going to be a challenge, but we’ll go to work on that and that’s where we’re at.”
For Minnesota, the move clears McCarthy off the roster entirely as the Vikings move forward with Murray and Wentz at the position, closing the book on a first-round investment that never fully found its footing across two injury-shortened seasons.