No JJ McCarthy Trade Talks for Vikings and Giants
· Yahoo Sports
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing this week for Baker Mayfield and the 0-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with an opportunity to move to 3-0 for just the sixth time since the turn of the century.
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Back under center will be Kyler Murray, the 29-year-old diminutive former No. 1 pick who only took 11 snaps in week 1, before he suffered a head injury that forced him off the field, off the active roster and into concussion protocol.
In week 2, we were reminded why the Vikings signed Murray over the offseason. Because the 2025 JJ McCarthy experiment proved to be an organizational disaster, and Carson Wentz is nothing more than a pretty good backup quarterback, at this point in his career.
Now that Murray is back, Wentz will slide to QB2 again Sunday in Tampa, and JJ McCarthy will slide off the active roster, to emergency QB3, only allowed to take the field if the quarterbacks ahead of him are knocked out of the game.
Update: JJ McCarthy to New York Giants rumors
Meanwhile, in the Big Apple, the New York Giants have their own quarterback problems, after second-year starter Jaxson Dart suffered a knee injury that requires season-ending surgery.
🚨Prayers for Jaxson Dart 🙏 pic.twitter.com/7j5DiX6vls
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) September 22, 2026
Jaxson Dart is out for the “regular season,” per John Harbaugh. Seems to be holding out hope he can return, dependent on the timeline, for the postseason. pic.twitter.com/LantCXTyEj
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) September 23, 2026
Related: Minnesota Vikings Sign Fresh Practice Squad Talent
After the John Harbaugh’s G-Men defeated the Cowboys in week 1, New Yorkers started dreaming about the playoffs. Now that he’s out, they must put the season on backup Jameis Winston’s right arm, or find another quarterback who is capable of getting their season back on track.
If they choose option B, all eyes are on the Minnesota Vikings and their third-string quarterback, JJ McCarthy. Remember, the Giants thought seriously about selecting the now 23-year-old back in 2024, when they held the No. 6 overall pick, ahead of the Vikings. Instead, they drafted Malik Nabers and the rest is history.
But as soon as Dart went down, rumors started swirling that New York could be eyeing up JJ McCarthy yet again.
Giants interested in JJ McCarthy? Not yet…
Thursday morning, however, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported (on ESPN’s Get Up) that, at least for now, the Giants are not calling on quarterbacks, specifically noting that they have not contacted the MN Vikings regarding the cost/availability of their QB3.
According to @AdamSchefter, the Giants have not called the Vikings to discuss a trade for JJ McCarthy (and probably won't).
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 24, 2026
"It wasn't like [the Giants] were frantically calling around the league yesterday trying to trade for somebody. There was no contact with Minnesota about… pic.twitter.com/7Mi4TKQT0C
“[The Giants] believe in the No. 2 quarterback that they have [Jameis Winston]… so let’s see how he fairs this week. They still need to add another quarterback [but] it wasn’t like they were frantically calling around the league yesterday trying to trade for somebody.
There was no contact with Minnesota about JJ McCarthy, there was no contact with San Francisco about Mac Jones. And what you have to understand is, these other teams around the league, they also understand the value of a backup quarterback.
They’re not going to be in the market to just give away a backup QB because the Giants lost their starter. They don’t feel bad. They’d have to get an offer that they couldn’t say no to.”
Adam Schefter – Get Up (ESPN)
Related: Vikings RB Aaron Jones is Hurt and Not Practicing
Schefter goes on to note that the Giants could still call around, depending on how this week goes with Winston under center. But even then, the names he is hearing are the Gardner Minshew and Jimmy Garoppolo types.
And that makes sense because, if Harbaugh & Co. do start looking externally for QB help, they won’t be on the hunt for a reclamation project quarterback. And let’s be honest, that’s what JJ McCarthy is, at this point in his career.
New York expects Jaxson Dart to return next season as their QB1, so if McCarthy isn’t ready to take the reigns immediately, then why would they want him? Hint… they probably won’t.