Vikings Trade J.J. McCarthy to Giants for 2027 Fifth-Round Pick

The former No. 10 overall pick leaves Minnesota in year three of his rookie deal, the latest turn in a quarterback shuffle that has run through Kevin O'Connell's tenure.

The Minnesota Vikings traded quarterback J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants on Monday, receiving a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft in return. The deal comes in year three of the rookie contract McCarthy signed as the No. 10 overall selection in 2024.

Playing time had vanished in Minnesota, where the depth chart dropped McCarthy to third-string behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz. He now joins a Giants depth chart headed by Jameis Winston, with Jake Haener below him and starter Jaxson Dart lost for the season because of a knee injury.

The trade extends a pattern of turnover that has shadowed Kevin O'Connell throughout his time on the Vikings' sideline. Since arriving in 2022 — a debut campaign that delivered a 13-4 record and an NFC North crown — the 41-year-old coach has started nine different quarterbacks. Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, McCarthy and Murray have opened seasons as the No. 1, while Wentz, Nick Mullens, Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall and Max Brosmer have all filled in as reserves.

None of the churn has stopped Minnesota from winning. The club is 3-0 to open 2026 and holds a 46-25 mark (.648) across O'Connell's stewardship. A playoff victory, however, remains elusive: the Vikings have gone 0-2 across two postseason trips, after 2022 and 2024 seasons in which they combined to go 27-7.

What comes next at the position is murky. Murray holds a one-season contract, Wentz's new deal expires after 2026, and McCarthy will not factor into 2027. O'Connell, once a coordinator on Sean McVay's Rams staff, has watched his mentor receive a decade of strong quarterback play with the Los Angeles Rams, first from Jared Goff and later from Matthew Stafford.

The revolving door traces back to 2022, when O'Connell and then-general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah retained Kirk Cousins on a one-year, $35 million deal struck in March instead of a longer pact. Cousins, then 34, rewarded them with a season that included a league-high eight game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks.

A torn Achilles limited Cousins to eight appearances in 2023, a year Minnesota finished 7-10 and missed the postseason. The Vikings declined to bring him back for 2024 and beyond, and he eventually joined Atlanta. At 38, Cousins is now playing refreshed within Klint Kubiak's Raiders scheme, while the defense Brian Flores installed in Minnesota for 2023 has grown into a team strength.

Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million contract in 2024, about a month before Minnesota drafted McCarthy, and operated as a bridge option. A knee injury wiped away McCarthy's first season, and the Vikings never lengthened Darnold's deal even as he flourished in O'Connell's offense. Turning 28 in 2025, Darnold departed for Seattle, where he piloted the Seahawks to a 14-3 finish and a Super Bowl 60 championship. Minnesota answered by settling for Wentz as the reserve behind McCarthy.

McCarthy himself came at a steep price. Once Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. were gone within the first eight choices of the 2024 draft, the Vikings shipped meaningful draft capital to the Jets to climb one spot, from No. 11 to No. 10. Denver selected Bo Nix with the very next pick at No. 12.