Giants acquire J.J. McCarthy from Vikings for 2027 fifth-round pick

The New York Giants are acquiring quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.

McCarthy had been serving as the third-string quarterback in Minnesota behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz . New York adds depth at quarterback after starter Jaxson Dart was ruled out for the remainder of the regular season due to a torn MCL and meniscus.

New York started veteran Jameis Winston and called up Jake Haener to serve as his backup in the Week 3 win over the Titans. Even though the Giants picked up their second win of the season, Winston struggled, and New York's 12 points were from four field goals.

With the acquisition, the Giants have waived Haener and intend to bring him back on the practice squad. It seems that the intention is for McCarthy to, at worst, back up Winston in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals .

This move gets McCarthy a fresh start as the 23-year-old is still in just his third year in the league. The former Michigan Wolverine played for Jim Harbaugh in college and will now play for his brother, John Harbaugh, with the Giants.

McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to a torn MCL that he suffered in the 2024 NFL preseason. Last year, made his regular-season debut, going 6-4 over his 10 starts. The QB finished with 1,632 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Injuries also continued to plague McCarthy in his second season, missing five games with a high-ankle sprain and another game down the stretch with a concussion.

Winston took over for Dart during the team's 28-6 loss to the Rams . He struggled mightily, completing only 11-of-27 passes for 111 yards. The 32-year-old Winston was sacked twice and threw a second-quarter interception while in the red zone.

A backup for the last several years, Winston was once the top pick in the draft, back in 2015. That marked the beginning of his five-season run as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ' QB1. Winston, a Heisman Trophy and national championship winner at Florida State, earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie and led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards in 2019. That season, though, he infamously tossed 30 interceptions to go along with his 33 touchdown strikes.

On-field decision-making has held back Winston throughout his pro career. The Winston experience is a roller coaster, for better or worse. He can chuck the ball around the yard, as evidenced by his 25,021 career passing yards — a total he previously added to amid stints with the New Orleans Saints (2020-23) and Cleveland Browns (2024) before he joined the Giants ahead of last season — but he's notoriously turnover-prone.

That said, he's known for his infectious personality, unrelenting positivity as a leader and for his ability to spark an offense. Earlier this month, the Giants inked Winston to a two-year extension through 2028 that's reportedly worth $13 million . Harbaugh has gone to bat for the veteran this week.

"He can throw it," Harbaugh said last Wednesday of Winston . "He's a big, strong passing quarterback. He can throw the ball. Everybody that follows football has certainly seen Jameis play, and his strengths are evident.

Winston finished the Week 3 win going 14 of 22 passing for 118 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He scrambled twice for 14 yards and was sacked three times.

New York has four more games until its Week 8 bye week. That could be when, depending on how Winston plays over the next month, the Giants could make a move to get McCarthy under center.