The Minnesota Vikings decided to cut ties with J.J. McCarthy on Sept. 28, trading the former first-round pick to the New York Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick after three seasons and only a handful of regular-season appearances. Moreover, the move gives McCarthy a fresh start in New York.
For now, McCarthy will back up Jameis Winston. Winston has struggled over the past two games since taking over for Jaxson Dart, who is out for the season. If those struggles continue, McCarthy could compete for the starting job.
A new team also gives McCarthy a chance to address his weaknesses, develop as a quarterback, and make the most of whatever opportunity comes his way in New York. Nonetheless, on Sept. 30, Winston spoke with the media to share his thoughts on McCarthy joining the Giants‘ QB room.
“I feel challenged to get better every single day,” Winston told reporters. “I just think that’s the makeup of who I am as a person, always looking for ways to build on the positives and eliminate the negatives.
“You hear me say this a lot, no matter the circumstances, conditions, or facts, my mind is on what my heart desires, and that’s to be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. It doesn’t matter who’s in the building. When you’re the quarterback for the New York Football Giants, you have to give your team a chance to win.”
J.J McCarthy Not Changing Jameis Winston’s Approach
Nonetheless, despite the former Vikings QB being in the room, Winston isn’t looking over his shoulder and is approaching this new competition by taking the day-to-day process.
“Focusing on what I’ve got to do to get better, not just this week, but day by day,” Winston added. “It’s going to be a different day; it’s going to be a different week, but my desire is to again build on the positives and eliminate the negatives. Watching practice, my desire tomorrow is to come out better, one percent better the next day, and after tomorrow, I can’t even think about tomorrow because it’s not tomorrow.
“Today has enough worries of its own. So, building on what we did today at practice and passing that message along to my teammates, just yearning, yearning to get better and better and better and better.”
Adam Thielen on Vikings Trading J.J. McCarthy to Giants
Meanwhile, former Vikings wideout Adam Thielen shared that he’s excited about this fresh start for his ex-teammate.
“J.J. gets a fresh start,” Thielen said in a Sept. 29 video from SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He gets an opportunity to prove who he is and who he thinks he is, and the Vikings kind of cut ties and get to move on and plan for their future now without him being the developmental guy to really pour a lot of time and energy into to develop him. So I think, again, it’s not a surprising thing.
“The longer you’ve been around this league and in this league and seeing all the stuff that’s happened over the years, it’s not surprising. And again, I’m very excited for J.J. to get that fresh start, to get a new set of eyes on him, for people to kind of judge him for who he is. And we’ll see what happens.”
Giants-Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Trade Sparks Candid Jameis Winston Take