EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants traded a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and the transaction is so clean that you can understand the entire NFL from it.
McCarthy was the 10th pick of the 2024 draft. He lost the starting job in Minnesota to Kyler Murray, then fell behind Carson Wentz on the depth chart, and was traded for a fifth-rounder — a fall from the first round to the fifth in two seasons, which is the distance, in draft terms, between an investment and a receipt. The Giants then announced, in the same breath, that Jameis Winston remains QB1, meaning New York paid a pick for a backup to a backup-quality starter, and the coach said they had been “turning over every stone,” which is what you say when the stones are running out.
The Vikings, for their part, traded up for McCarthy in 2024 and now hold a fifth-rounder after roughly half a season of him, a deal everyone agrees is fair, which in football means both teams lost and one of them is smiling.
The Giants have five picks left in 2027: first, second, third, and two sixths. They spent the fifth on a quarterback who will, at worst, back up Winston in Week 4 against Arizona. At best, he is a fresh start, and the revivals of Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have taught the league that a fresh start is a real thing — even when you pay for it in the fifth round, where fresh starts are normally sold at retail.
THE TRADE, AT A GLANCE
- Giants gave: one 2027 fifth-round pick.
- Giants got: a 2024 10th overall pick, now a backup.
- Vikings got: a fifth-rounder and the ability to say "we moved on."
- QB1: still Winston, per the coach, in the specific, per the coach.
- 2027 picks remaining: five, down from six, counting the one that is now a quarterback.
At press time, the Giants had waived their other backup quarterback and intended to bring him back on the practice squad, which is the league’s way of saying: we have two backups now, and one of them is on the couch.