Minnesota Vikings quarterback J. J. McCarthy has been the subject of trade rumors ever since he lost the starting quarterback job to Kyler Murray. Now a new report from ESPN suggests that the New York Giants have done a lot of homework on the quarterback and could be interested in trading for him. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported this on Wednesday morning.
Giants long-time beat writer Gary Myers posted on social media Tuesday night with an interesting proposition. He thought the Giants should show some interest in the quarterback. One reason is McCarthy’s connection with coach Jim Harbaugh at the University of Michigan. The other, and perhaps even bigger, part here is that the Giants could be losing Jaxon Dart for quite some time.
Fowler offered his insight into this in Wednesday’s piece.
Yeah, the quarterback options are scarce. Garoppolo appears to be in that half retirement phase. It might be worth a call to Minnesota, where J.J. McCarthy toils on the bench. General manager Joe Schoen did a lot of homework on the 2024 draft class of quarterbacks, so he knows the pros and cons of McCarthy’s game. Rival teams believe McCarthy can be acquired at a value since Minnesota doesn’t appear to have him in the long-term plans.
J.J. McCarthy’s Roller-Coaster Vikings Season
J. J. McCarthy has had a bit of a roller coaster couple of months for the Vikings. At the end of the preseason, he was demoted to the third-string quarterback. After the demotion, reports began to surface about his character. Just last week, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote a report indicating that the “Vikings were surprised by the degree of McCarthy’s immaturity.” This was certainly a surprising report to say the least.
These trade rumors are beginning to pick up steam. Between the injuries to Dart, McCarthy’s familiarity with Harbaugh, and the Giants’ extensive research on the quarterback, this could make a lot of sense for everybody.
J.J. McCarthy And Jim Harbaugh Have Rich History
McCarthy and Harbaugh had some of the best moments of their entire football careers together. The duo led Michigan to a 34-13 victory over Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. This was Michigan’s first national title since 1997. McCarthy also became one of the best modern college football quarterbacks in the process. He had a 27-1 record as a starting quarterback. This is the highest winning percentage by any quarterback in modern college football with at least 25 starts.
In addition to McCarthy’s individual accolades, the duo was also able to achieve program success. They went to consecutive Big Ten Championships in 2022 and 2023. Perhaps even bigger than that, in the minds of Wolverines fans were two consecutive wins over Ohio State in 2022 and 2023.
Giants-Vikings Trade Could Benefit Both Parties
A trade between the Vikings and Giants could benefit both parties. For one, McCarthy could get a fresh start with a coach he is familiar with playing under. Secondly, the Giants would be able to have a quarterback ready and waiting to develop.
Dart is a talented quarterback in his own right. However, he is beginning to have a growing injury history. He has had only one diagnosed concussion in his career. However, he has been to the medical tent six times during it. This, combined with his recent injury, should be enough cause for concern for the Giants.
For McCarthy, he gets a fresh start to revive his career. It’s crazy to think about, but in just one year he has gone from a starting quarterback to a third-string player. Minnesota may have made the right decision, but McCarthy may have a better chance to develop with the Giants. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is known as the quarterback whisperer, but a change of scenery may be best here.
In any event, this is something worth monitoring. The trade rumors will only begin to pick up steam throughout the year, especially with so many quarterback-needy teams. Maybe the Giants will pick up the phone.
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Suddenly at Center of Trade Buzz: Report