The New York Giants needed to address their quarterback depth, regardless of whether or not Jameis Winston lit up the opposing teams defenses. Based on reporting in the past few days, it felt like a matter of when, not if, the Giants add another quarterback. What was unknown was the Giants bringing in an unproven young option and a former first-round pick.
On Monday, multiple reports indicated that the Giants were acquiring J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. It was quite the fall from grace for McCarthy, as he was a first-round pick in 2024, and never panned out for the Vikings as a legitimate starting option.
Sure, the Giants options to fill in their depth with Jaxson Dart were limited. Ther was no savior available. But giving up draft capital for McCarthy, who is under contract through the 2027 season is interesting, to say the least. But Giants fans have one person to thank for that, John Harbaugh's younger brother, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Giants brought in J.J. McCarthy thanks to John Harbaugh's younger brother Jim
After the trade was reported, Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer reported that John Harbaugh spoke to Jim about McCarthy about their time together at Michigan. Then, Giants general manager Joe Schoen got on the phone with the Vikings to negotiate and ultimately finalize a trade.
it's not surprising that Jim would hype up McCarthy. The former Wolverines head coach always hyped up McCarthy whenever he had the chance, which is understandable since the duo won a CFP National Championship together. Jim called McCarthy one of the greatest quarterbacks in Michigan history and declared that he should be the No. 1 quarterback selected in the 2024 class. That's how highy he thinks of him.
John was also on the sidelines during Jim's and McCarthy's time with Michigan, so he got to see how he operated first hand. Still, he spoke with his younger brother about McCarthy over the years.
The thing with McCarthy is, that while he had the traits, he played under a run-heavy offense at Michigan. So, it was difficult to evaluate how he'd transition to the NFL as a passer, as the Wolverines offense primarily ran through Blake Corum, who was near unstoppable.
In 2022, McCarthy threw for 2,719 yards, 22 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 208-of-322 pass attempts. In 2023, his National Championship-winning year, McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing 240-of-332 pass attempts.
The Harbaughs must prove that J.J. McCarthy gamble pays off
Sure, the Giants only gave up a fifth-round pick for McCarthy, but that cut down the amount of draft capital they hold in 2027. So, it is a gamble they are taking on a quarterback that may or may not receive a significant amount of starts during his time.
Let's not forget that McCarthy didn't pan out under Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, who has become a quarterback whisperer during his time with the team. We saw Sam Darnold have a resurgent year in 2024 in Minnesota efore leaving for the Seattle Seahawks, where he won a Super Bowl. The fact that McCarthy could not thrive in the quarterback friendly system, with the likes of Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson to throw to.
Last season, McCarthy threw for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 57.6 percent of his passes.
As of now, the offense is still expected to be led by Winston. But things can change if the losses pile up, or if Winston is doing the Giants more harm than good. If the Giants do turn to McCarthy, expect them to run a similar offense like he had at Michigan. As in, handing the football off a ton to the likes of Cam Skattebo, Najee Harris, and Tyrone Tracy Jr.
We'll see if McCarthy sees playing time with the Giants. It may be a bit, as he'll have to learn the offensive playbook from coordinator Matt Nagy.
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