Why the Giants' J.J. McCarthy Trade Isn't as Bad as Critics Claim

The New York Giants' trade that sent a fifth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for quarterback J.J. McCarthy has quickly drawn reactions from analysts across the football landscape.

Most of that reaction has been highly critical of the franchise's decision to bolster its quarterback room after Jaxson Dart's season-ending knee injury, including SI.com writer Connor Orr, who came out with four red-hot dismissals (perhaps tongue-in-cheek) of the 2024 first-round pick's arrival in East Rutherford.

That said, we couldn't resist responding to the points raised, snippets from Orr's article listed in italics.

Concern for Jaxson Dart’s Development

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“In trading for a 23-year-old first-round pick, the Giants are wedging a thumb into the eye socket of their own 23-year-old first-round pick. … How is he going to feel when a quarterback with the same developmental timeline is added to the room, with one less year on his own rookie contract and an equal amount of pressure to prove himself before hitting the open market?”

Not to speak for Dart, but it’s hard to fathom him feeling any differently now than he did before McCarthy’s name ever entered the Giants' picture.

Dart, as Orr went on to point out, is a gamer and a fiercely competitive individual. That competitiveness and attention to detail drew John Harbaugh to the Giants' head coaching job, and it was clear that Harbaugh was ready to ride with Dart leading the offense.

Dart rewarded that confidence by working through the knots posed by the new offense. He then got off to a hot start in the season opener, amassing 304 yards of total offense and three passing touchdowns against the Cowboys.

Dart, as Orr noted, has enough confidence in himself, which strongly suggests he is unshakable and that he probably won’t be bothered by any quarterback entering the fold.

McCarthy’s Maturity and How It Will Go Over in the Giants Locker Room

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“We cannot also ignore the mounting evidence that McCarthy was an issue in the Vikings’ locker room. ... Teammates mention everything from McCarthy’s performative post-game mean mugging to the decision to insist on doing the Griddy after a touchdown, even though his head coach asked him not to, to the bizarre treatment of an injury that occurred after he checked himself out of a game.”

McCarthy is only 23 years old, having entered the league at 21. While technically an adult, reports suggest McCarthy is still maturing into adulthood. He’s not the first to be in that position, and he won't be the last.

That said, it’s also about the environment. Under Harbaugh, the Giants have a budding culture that prioritizes doing the small things on the way to winning and embracing the love of the game together.

The Giants have plenty of veterans—including Jameis Winston and receiver Odell Beckham Jr.—who, when they were younger players, qualified as “very young adults” and have since matured enough to impart wisdom to younger teammates like McCarthy.

Then there is McCarthy himself. After two seasons in this league and seeing his career go in the wrong direction, if he hasn’t realized by now that he needs to focus on his development and less on being a flashy personality, then there's truly no hope for him.

Future Draft Capital

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The 2026 NFL Draft logo on the theater stage at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“On its face, getting a quarterback with a 10% chance of materializing as a possible first-round talent for a fifth-round pick is a great deal.”

Nestled within Orr’s quirky argument is the fact that, yes, the Giants did only surrender a fifth-round pick for McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in 2024.

But here’s the thinking: Draft picks are like new cars. The minute you drive a car off the lot, it starts to depreciate.

In the case of McCarthy, his value dropped significantly from his rookie season, which he missed due to a knee injury, to his struggles when he did play, to this past summer, when he couldn’t beat out Carson Wentz for the backup role.

While draft picks are still valuable commodities, they are also crapshoots, and McCarthy is a good example.

And if one also considers that the Giants are projected to be awarded either a fourth- or fifth-round compensatory pick in the 2027 draft (Over the Cap currently projects the Giants as being on track for a fifth-round comp pick for having lost cornerback Cor’Dale Flott), the only rounds the Giants are currently scheduled not to have a pick in are the fourth round (due to the trade to draft receiver Malachi Fields) and the seventh round.

Not having a seventh-round pick isn’t that big of a deal either, as the Giants have two picks in the sixth round thanks to the Daniel Faalele trade with Jacksonville.

Overall, the Giants arguably made a good bargain by parting with a Day 3 pick for a quarterback they see as having upside. It’s now up to the coaching staff to bring out in McCarthy what the Vikings coaching staff could not.

Orr also expressed concern that a potential McCarthy takeover could spark an offseason dilemma: If he does well, the franchise might feel obligated to head into training camp with a pair of former first-round quarterbacks duking it out ahead of a defining period in their rookie contracts.

While there is still a way to go before we get to that point, since when is competition a bad thing at any position? Again, knowing Dart’s fiercely competitive streak, he’s going to fight like mad to ensure he’s not Wally Pipped.

If the Giants don't need to use McCarthy at all this season, the worst they lose is a late-round pick in exchange for breathing easier at quarterback during an NFL campaign in which injuries have struck down several quarterbacks.

If McCarthy does get a chance to play and excels but doesn’t beat out Dart next year, who’s to say the Giants won’t turn around and try to flip the former Michigan signal-caller to another team?

Mixed Messaging

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“I’m curious what Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo will think about the value of upside at the quarterback position—again, assuming the Giants eventually move from Winston to McCarthy—as both are hurtling toward respective contract years.”

Since when is trying to reinforce a position that the coaches perceive as an issue is sending a mixed message to the locker room?

We’ll play along, though, and assume this is not a tongue-in-cheek piece, even though it’s pretty clear by now that it is. And we’ll openly challenge someone to name one player on any team in any sport, for that matter, who doesn’t want to win.

Yes, contracts will drive player decisions to a degree in free agency. But with all due respect to Malik Nabers, he’s still working his way back from his knee injury and shaking off the rust.

Skattebo? Good running back and a team player. But is he Adrian Peterson in his prime? No.

Something tells us Nabers, Skattebo, and the rest of the Giants in contract years aren’t going to base their next deal strictly on McCarthy's arrival.

As for the idea of a “mixed message,” the message is crystal clear: Harbaugh, general manager Joe Schoen, and the rest of the organization have zero intention of punting this season just because they lost their starting quarterback.

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