Giants Acquire McCarthy From Vikings; Winston Stays Starter — SkimNews
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- New York Giants traded a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to the Minnesota Vikings for J.J. McCarthy, a 2024 first-round pick taken No. 10 overall, who had been the Vikings' third-string quarterback behind starter Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz.
- John Harbaugh said Jameis Winston will remain the Giants' starter 'for as long as I can see into the future,' even after adding McCarthy, who will initially be the No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback while learning the offense.
- Jameis Winston stepped into the starting role after Jaxson Dart underwent surgery Friday to repair the meniscus and MCL in his left knee; Winston has completed 51% of his passes for 229 yards with no touchdowns and an interception since taking over.
- McCarthy reunites with Jim Harbaugh — who coached him at Michigan — by joining his brother John's team; John Harbaugh said the Giants heavily scouted McCarthy coming out of college and even considered him with the sixth overall pick.
- McCarthy is one of four quarterbacks in the past 25 years to start 10 or fewer games for the team that drafted him, joining Paxton Lynch, Trey Lance and Johnny Manziel, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
- The Giants waived quarterback Jake Haener on Monday with plans to re-sign him to the practice squad, and improved to 2-1 after a 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans in which they scored no touchdowns.
Why it matters: The Giants added a former No. 10 overall pick for just a 2027 fifth-round selection, betting on John Harbaugh to salvage a quarterback his brother Jim once coached at Michigan. McCarthy joins Johnny Manziel, Trey Lance and Paxton Lynch as first-round quarterbacks who started 10 or fewer games for their drafting team, underscoring how far his stock has fallen since 2024.
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