The McCarthy/Murray Discourse Isn’t Going Away
The controversy surrounding Aaron Rodgers' preference for Brett Favre over his current teammates continues to simmer
QB · MIN · 33 yrs · exp 10 · North Dakota State
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Latest: Sep 3, 2026 · 481
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The controversy surrounding Aaron Rodgers' preference for Brett Favre over his current teammates continues to simmer
Adds: Carson Wentz. Drops: Jordan Whittington
Jauan Jennings' trade market is expected to heat up before the Nov. 10 deadline. Five teams could be ideal landing spots for the veteran WR, including a return to the San Francisco 49ers
Drops: Carson Wentz
Philadelphia Eagles release veteran quarterback Andy Dalton as they prepare for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. Dalton will begin his search for a new team
Backup QBs are proving valuable as teams win more than they lose when they start them
Drops: Carson Wentz
Adds: Carson Wentz
It’s the year of the backup quarterback, so far. Through three weeks, six quarterbacks who didn’t start in Week 1 have since started six games. They’re collectively 6-0. Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz started and won at Chicago in Week 2. Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock started and won at Arizona in Week 2. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. started and won at Green Bay in Week 3. Giants quarterback Jameis Winston started and won vs. the Titans in Week 3. Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota started and won vs. the Seahawks in Week 6. And Bears quarterback Case Keenum started and won vs. the Eagles in Week 3. In Week 4, two more quarterbacks who didn’t start in Week 1 are expected to start their first games of the season: Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent vs. the Jets and Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels vs. the Packers. The situation shows the importance of having two, if not three, quarterbacks who can be counted on to play, and play well. A game here or a game there in the absence of the starting quarterback could eventually make the difference between making the playoffs or missing the bus
Drops: Carson Wentz
Drops: Carson Wentz
The Vikings have signed QB Max Brosmer to their 53-man roster, providing depth behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz
There was always going to be projection involved with J.J. McCarthy . Two years later, the projection is over in Minnesota. The Vikings traded the quarterback they drafted 10th overall to the Giants on Monday for a 2027 fifth-round pick, ending an unusually short tenure after just 10 NFL starts. McCarthy survived roster cuts in August, but he entered the season behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz , and Minnesota has now officially moved on from a quarterback it traded up to select just 29 months ago. For the Giants, this is a low-cost swing on a 23-year-old former top-10 pick after losing Jaxson Dart for the season. And it's another chance for McCarthy to prove he can play in the league. For Minnesota, though, the trade answers the question that has followed McCarthy since the Vikings signed Murray this offseason: how long were they willing to keep waiting? Michigan won a national championship in McCarthy's final college season, went 15-0 and beat Ohio State, Alabama and Washington along the way. McCarthy completed 72.3% of his passes, threw 22 touchdowns against four interceptions and entered the NFL as a 21-year-old with athleticism, arm talent, toughness and a reputation as a winner. The question was never whether McCarthy could make NFL throws. The question was how often he could make them when his team needed him most. Michigan rarely required that. McCarthy attempted 332 passes during that 15-game championship season, fewer than 24 per game. During the Wolverines' final four games against Ohio State, Iowa, Alabama and Washington, he threw for a combined 656 yards. He was efficient, protected the football and made several big-time throws in big moments, but the offense was built around its running game, defense and an infrastructure that rarely asked its quarterback to carry the operation. That was part of my concern in 2024. McCarthy was my QB5 with a second-round grade because the traits were there, but there was still a considerable gap between what Michigan asked of him and what an NFL team would require of him as the face of the franchise. The tape showed a good athlete with a live-enough arm who could create outside structure and, at times, make high-level throws. But we also saw a quarterback who could become frenetic in clean pockets, struggle to layer the second-level throws and hesitate to pull the trigger on tight-window opportunities. At times, it felt like he didn't trust himself. There was one area, though, where McCarthy looked much more like the quarterback Minnesota eventually believed it was drafting. On third-and-6-to-10 yards during his final Michigan season, he completed 70% of his passes with five touchdowns, no interceptions and 25 first downs. The ball consistently came out on time, he understood leverage, and there were high-level, tight-window throws on tape that seemed to elude him in other situations. Michigan didn't ask him to carry the offense from snap to snap, but on obvious passing downs, the Wolverines trusted him to make the play -- and more often than not, he did. That's what made McCarthy so interesting. The best version wasn't theoretical -- it was on the tape if you were willing to look. The issue was how often it showed up. There was a substantial difference between seeing McCarthy make NFL-caliber throws in high-leverage situations and projecting him to consistently operate an NFL offense when those throws were required over and over again. My second-round grade reflected that gap and the concerns that come with the pressure and expectation of going in Round 1. Minnesota looked at many of the same traits and decided the combination of McCarthy's age, athleticism, arm talent, winning background and flashes of advanced quarterback play was worth betting on much earlier. The Vikings selected him 10th overall. And in some ways, the environment made the gamble easier to understand. Kevin O'Connell was one of the league's most respected offensive coaches, and Justin Jefferso [... truncated ...]
The New York Giants were rumored to be making calls all across the NFL in search of some quarterback help, and they've supposedly found their move. On Monday, the club agreed to a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to land former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy . In exchange, New York is sending out a 2027 fifth-round pick. This all comes after the Giants lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart for the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 2. While initially thought to not be too serious, further examination showed the injury was more severe, and Dart has since undergone surgery that'll put him on the shelf for the rest of the year. That stretched New York's quarterback depth very thin, with Jameis Winston the only other quarterback on the active roster at the time of Dart's injury. Winston got the start in Week 3's win over the Titans on Sunday, with Jake Haener backing him up after being elevated from the practice squad. Despite squeaking out the victory, Winston wasn't sharp and completed just 14 of his 22 passes for 118 yards and no touchdowns. It's unclear whether McCarthy will come in and usurp Winston as QB1, but it does give the Giants another option, adding someone with 10 career starts under his belt. This deal puts to bed McCarthy's humdrum tenure in Minnesota. During the 2024 NFL Draft , the Vikings moved up to the No. 10 overall pick to select the Michigan product as their QB of the future. That investment never saw returns, as a knee injury erased his entire rookie season. Then, as they turned the keys over to him in 2025 and allowed Sam Darnold -- who led them to a 14-3 record the previous year -- to leave in free agency, McCarthy struggled mightily. Last season, the team finished with a 9-8 record (6-4 in McCarthy's starts) and missed the playoffs. That led the Vikings to sign Kyler Murray this offseason, and the veteran was named the starter in the early days of training camp. After McCarthy was relegated to QB3 behind Carson Wentz , the writing was on the wall. He had no future in Minnesota, and a departure -- like we've seen here -- was inevitable. With this deal now executed, let's figure out who came out on top. Below, you can find our grades for this early-season trade between two NFC squads. It really depends on how the Giants view McCarthy coming aboard. Is he simply providing depth? Or are they eyeing him to leapfrog Winston on the depth chart and be New York's starter the rest of the way? If it's the latter, it's a risky roll of the dice. While Winston did not look good coming in under duress for Dart in Week 2 or even in Week 3 against Tennessee, there's no guarantee McCarthy is an upgrade. He might even be a downgrade. Sure, he's younger (still only 23 years old), but when he's been on the field thus far, he's left little to be desired. Last season, McCarthy ranked last among qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (58%), touchdowns-to-interceptions (11-12), and passer rating (72.6). Of course, there is a Michigan/Harbaugh connection here. McCarthy played under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, and the two won a national championship together in 2023. Naturally, one would think Giants head coach John Harbaugh gave his brother a call to vet McCarthy before making this deal, and the current Chargers head coach probably gave the green light. While it's always possible McCarthy is the latest castoff QB to catch lightning in a bottle and resurrect his career, this feels like a lateral move right now. It felt like J.J. McCarthy's trade value was nonexistent, so the fact that the Vikings are getting something for him should be looked at as a win. While landing a Day 3 pick will hardly change the fortunes of the franchise, getting a fifth-rounder in what is billed as a loaded 2027 draft isn't nothing. If New York craters post-Dart and with this Winston/McCarthy combination under center, Minnesota could be looking at a pick inside the top 150. They also clear about $4.6 million in [... truncated ...]
The New York Giants are set to trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy as they attempt to rebuild their signal-caller group in the wake of Jaxson Dart's season-ending injury
The J.J. McCarthy experiment in Minnesota has ended. In New York, it’s just beginning. Per multiple reports, the Vikings have traded the tenth overall pick in the 2024 draft to the Giants. In return, the Vikings will receive a 2027 fifth-round pick. The Giants have a clear need at the position, given the knee injury that will keep Jaxson Dart out for at least the rest of the regular season. On Sunday, the starter was Jameis Winston, with Jake Haener as the understudy. In Minnesota, McCarthy lost the starting job to Kyler Murray before falling behind Carson Wentz to the third spot on the depth chart. From the moment McCarthy was benched, it seemed that he was on borrowed time in Minnesota — even though everyone involved was saying all the right things. For the Giants, the move brings the former Michigan quarterback (coached by Jim Harbaugh) to the NFL team coached by John Harbaugh. For now, Winston is the starter. Whether McCarthy gets an opportunity to play depends on whether Winston is injured — and whether Winston remains sufficiently effective
The Giants are acquiring QB J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round pick. With Jaxson Dart out for the season, McCarthy gets a fresh start in New York. He struggled in his 2025 rookie season, dealing with accuracy, decision-making, and injuries, starting only 10 games. He was behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz on the Vikings' depth chart. McCarthy will compete with Jameis Winston for playing time eventually, but Dart remains the long-term franchise QB for the Giants
T.J. Hockenson's role in the Minnesota offense may become clearer with Kyler Murray's return from concussion
Drops: Carson Wentz
Drops: Carson Wentz
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