Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed the decision to trade quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Monday, calling it a difficult moment after the team sent the former first-round pick to the New York Giants.
The Vikings received a 2027 fifth-round draft choice in the deal, which remains pending McCarthy’s physical examination in New York.
O’Connell met with McCarthy earlier in the day and described the conversation as emotional.
“Today’s a tough day,” O’Connell said. “Nothing about this changes the way I feel about J.J. or the hopes I have for him. I think it’s a good opportunity in New York. As I told him, I’ll be pulling for him like crazy, to see him go and do well and apply a lot of the things that we’ve talked about over his period of time here.”
He said their relationship “means a lot” and added, “As he’s grown within this building, his impact with his teammates has still been felt.”
Minnesota selected McCarthy 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan, where he won a national championship.
A knee injury suffered in the first preseason game of his rookie year landed him on injured reserve for the entire 2024 season.
McCarthy made his NFL debut in Week 1 of 2025 on Monday Night Football, completing 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing score in the fourth quarter of a comeback win. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for that performance.
He started 10 games that season and finished 6-4. McCarthy completed 140 of 243 passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a 72.6 passer rating. He also ran 37 times for 181 yards and four touchdowns.
A high-ankle sprain in Week 2 against Atlanta forced him to miss five games. He returned in Week 9 and later dealt with additional injury issues that limited his availability.
This offseason the Vikings signed Kyler Murray, who won the starting job in training camp. Carson Wentz then beat McCarthy for the backup role, leaving the 23-year-old as the third-string quarterback and inactive for the start of the 2026 season.
Minnesota opened the year 3-0 with Murray and Wentz sharing snaps after Murray briefly entered concussion protocol in Week 1.
New general manager Nolan Teasley, hired in June, evaluated McCarthy’s long-term fit after the young quarterback lost both the starting and backup competitions. The trade also provides cap relief tied to remaining guarantees on McCarthy’s rookie contract.
The Giants needed quarterback depth after starter Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 that required surgery. Jameis Winston started the Week 3 win over Tennessee and completed 14 of 22 passes for 118 yards with no touchdowns in a 12-7 victory.
McCarthy previously played for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. Jim Harbaugh’s brother, John, now coaches the Giants.
Minnesota will move forward with Murray as the starter and Wentz as the primary backup. McCarthy gets a chance to restart his career in a new system after 10 NFL starts.
The Vikings viewed the fifth-round return as reasonable value for a player whose on-field production never fully matched his draft pedigree.
