The Minnesota Vikings gave J.J. McCarthy a fresh start by trading him to the New York Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick. McCarthy will first have to learn the Giants’ offense and get comfortable in their system. Afterward, it’s all about waiting for his opportunity.
McCarthy will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, who both found success after being traded by the teams that drafted them.
Giants starter Jameis Winston has been shaky since taking over for Jaxson Dart, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2. As a result, if Winston continues performing at this level, it could open the door for McCarthy once he feels comfortable with New York’s offense.
Nonetheless, WFAN’s Gordon Damer doesn’t see McCarthy having a success story in New York and shared a prediction of how this will all play out for the former Vikings QB.
“I realize he’s still a young player,” Damer said in an Oct. 2 video. “He’s still got untapped potential. You’d like to believe if J.J. McCarthy turns out to be anything more than just a warm body, I will be very, very surprised, and I’m surprised that this is the direction the Giants went because, best-case scenario, J.J. McCarthy is a project.
“He is not a sure thing in anything, and the fact that the Minnesota Vikings were so willing to do anything to get rid of him for even a fifth-round pick – you have to factor that into the evaluation of the player.”
Vikings Trading J.J. McCarthy Is Worrying Sign for New York
Moreover, Damer believes that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell being okay with the franchise giving up on McCarthy should be a red flag for the Giants about the possibility of this trade working out in New York’s favor.
“This is not a scenario where a previous regime drafted J.J. McCarthy and the current regime is not on board with the previous regime’s pick,” Damer added. “No. The head coach who was there when they drafted J.J. McCarthy to be the future quarterback and traded up in the draft to get him is still there. And a guy who is looked at as kind of a quarterback whisperer saw 10 starts of J.J. McCarthy and wasn’t whispering, was screaming, he ain’t the guy.”
Giants Stars Share Initial Thoughts on J.J. McCarthy
Nonetheless, wideout Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo appear to be impressed with what they have seen from McCarthy since his arrival ahead of their Week 4 game.
Skattebo spoke to the media on Oct. 1 and shared his first impressions of McCarthy.
“He’s a good player,” Skattebo told reporters. “He’s a quarterback we brought in because we needed that. We didn’t have that in depth, and he looks good on the scout team right now, throwing the ball around and just getting his arm loose. He looks good, man.
“He’s a quarterback in the NFL, and I feel like no matter who you see come in here, it’s going to look the same. It’s going to look good, and he knows what he’s doing for sure.”
Elsewhere, Nabers said he’d already seen McCarthy up close before the Giants traded a Day 3 pick for the quarterback.
“Strong arm,” Nabers told reporters. “I was with J.J. in a 7-on-7 All-American game, so I was with him before we went to college. So he has a pretty good arm, strong arm. He’s catching on quick. He’s out there throwing, touching, catching footballs. Feel like he has confidence out there. He’s targeting receivers pretty well.”
Giants Get Strong J.J. McCarthy Verdict After Vikings Trade