ESPN analysts Seth Walder and Ben Solak have released a list of grades for all of the major trade deals happening around the NFL ahead of the November 10th deadline.
The New York Giants-Minnesota Vikings J.J. McCarthy trade from September 28th was included among Walder’s grades, which sent the young signal caller to New York in exchange for a 2027 5th-round draft pick. According to Walder, the Vikings got the better end of the trade, receiving a grade of “B+”, while the Giants only scored a “C” for that deal.
The following analysis, which primarily focuses on the New York side of the trade, criticized their front office for making this deal a mere three weeks after signing backup Jameis Winston to a two-year extension.
It also highlighted McCarthy’s poor statistical performance in 2025, praising the Vikings for flipping it into draft capital. But the article doesn't acknowledge the possibility that is now staring the entire organization in the face: did Minnesota give up the best QB on their roster?
J.J. McCarthy is giving Giants a lot more than C-level quarterback play
The analysis does not discuss McCarthy’s performances starting for the G-Men after the trade was finalized, so I’m going to assume this section was written without the benefit of hindsight. Still, when evaluating this trade now, one cannot ignore that the former Vikings QB now has a 2-0 record as a starter for Big Blue.
He hasn’t just been a passenger to these wins, either: he’s thrown for 622 yards in about nine quarters of football, and his QBR is nearly 15 points higher than what it was last year in Minnesota. He’s hung in the pocket and made tough throws to his receivers. He’s executed clutch late-game scoring drives using both his arm and his legs to move the chains. He did not turn the ball over in either game he started.
Against Philadelphia, he accomplished this while battling a hip pointer injury and without a viable rushing attack alongside him. Doing that on the road against a division rival demonstrates a certain resilience to the 23-year-old’s game that Minnesota never got out of him.
It’s still very early, of course, and who knows if he will continue this impressive play down the stretch of the season. But, the former-first-round-pick came into New York and almost immediately put the team on his back after Winston’s benching, so this trade has already paid dividends for the Giants.
Meanwhile, it’s a five-alarm fire in Minnesota regarding the quarterback position. Kyler Murray has been injured on-and-off and looks extremely spotty when he does play. Carson Wentz, who won the backup QB job over McCarthy in the preseason, struggled to generate any offense on Monday night against a subpar Buffalo defense. Instead of developing the quarterback they drafted 10th overall just two years ago, the Vikings opted to search for outside help to play the position this year.
But, neither of the veteran options they’ve turned to have looked nearly as capable as the young QB they let walk out the door.
And they gave him up for what: a 5th-round pick in return? How many fifth-round picks in the Joe Schoen era have developed into reliable players for the Giants? The list starts and ends with Micah McFadden. Across the league, you can count on one hand the number of 2026 fifth-round picks that have made any sort of impact on their teams yet. Does it, as Walder claims, reflect poorly on New York’s front office that they sent away a 5th-rounder to get McCarthy when they already signed Winston?
That seems like a bit of a stretch: both QBs have demonstrated their value by delivering wins for the team in Jaxson Dart’s absence. Plus, the former Michigan standout has long-term upside that Winston doesn't, being only 23 years old in his third NFL season. It’s difficult to imagine how a team could possibly get better value out of a Day-3 pick.
The former Michigan standout now looks to make his third start for New York in a Thursday night primetime matchup against the Washington Commanders. All of the Vikings’ brass should watch that game very closely. If the QB they traded away continues his winning streak in New York, their fanbase will have questions about why they chose to give up on him so quickly. For the price of a 5th-round pick, that decision may have saved the Giants' season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google