New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh shared his reaction to the news that the team acquired QB J.J. McCarthy in a trade.
On Monday, the Giants sent a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft to the Minnesota Vikings for McCarthy, the former 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft who had fallen out of favor in Minnesota.
With Giants QB Jaxson Dart out for the year, the Giants needed to add another quarterback, and with the cost for McCarthy being low, the team had to take a shot on him in a trade that has Harbaugh excited for what the newcomer can bring to New York.
John Harbaugh Reacts to J.J. McCarthy Trade
Speaking to the media after it was revealed that New York traded for McCarthy, Harbaugh shared his reaction to the trade.
“Well, we’ve been talking about it ever since I think Jaxson got hurt, that we would need to add a quarterback, quarterbacks. That’s part of the process. We’ve been turning over every stone. This was an opportunity that kind of came up and able to finish the deal off this morning, late morning,” Harbaugh said (via Giants.com).
“Really glad, really happy, very excited to add J.J. McCarthy. I think he’s a strong, young quarterback, has some experience in National Football League. Obviously, was a very high draft pick, very talented player and is going to make us a stronger football team. So, excited about it, think it makes us better and get him in here as soon as we can. Get to work on learning the offense. Obviously, that’s going to be a challenge, but we’ll go to work on that and that’s where we’re at.”
John Harbaugh Heard Good Things About QB From Brother
According to Harbaugh, he had heard nothing but good things about McCarthy from his brother, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who had coached McCarthy at the University of Michigan.
“He always had good things to say about J.J. I mean, I kind of watched it. I was following Michigan when Jim was coaching there. I don’t follow them as much anymore, but when Jim was there, that was a team I watched closely, so I’ve watched J.J. play a lot,” Harbaugh said.
Given that the Giants only had to give up a fifth-round draft pick for McCarthy, they really didn’t have to pay much of a price to pick up a former top prospect who could potentially flourish in a new situation.
While things obviously did not work out for McCarthy in Minnesota, the hope is that with a change of scenery, he can come to New York and reach the potential that he flashed in college football, which is what made him such a high draft pick in the first place.
For now, Jameis Winston will continue to be the starter for New York, with Jake Haener backing him up, though McCarthy will push him for the backup role, and the team could still add another QB.
John Harbaugh Reacts to J.J. McCarthy Trade for Giants