After the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, John Harbaugh and the New York Giants knew they had to make some type of move to upgrade their depth at the position.
After a lot of speculation all offseason, it was the Giants who ultimately made the move to trade for former Minnesota Vikings first-round pick JJ McCarthy, who now finds himself as the backup to Jameis Winston in New York and back under the right umbrella for success.
The Harbaugh umbrella.
Short of the Los Angeles Chargers and Jim Harbaugh trading for McCarthy, the Giants and John Harbaugh trading for him might have been McCarthy's best-case scenario after getting demoted from competing to be the starter in Minnesota to playing third fiddle behind both Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz.
JJ McCarthy to the Giants gets him back under the Harbaugh umbrella
After a disappointing first handful of years in the NFL plagued by injuries and growing pains on the field, the Vikings dumped McCarthy to the Giants for just a 5th-round pick in 2027.
And, at the very least, they got something back for him.
From the Vikings' perspective, it wasn't just about taking the highest offer for McCarthy, but getting him to a good situation in the meantime. They've been vocal about still believing in his long-term development, but it's become abundantly clear that they did not truly believe that could happen in Minnesota.
The Giants offer McCarthy a pretty fantastic opportunity. He can come sit behind Jameis Winston stress free, and if his number is ever called, he'll be out on the field basically playing with house money.
Being under the Harbaugh umbrella, however, is the real story here.
McCarthy became a 1st-round draft pick after playing at Michigan for Jim Harbaugh. The duo won a National Championship together before they both headed off to the NFL, and you can almost guarantee that John consulted Jim when considering his menu of options to add to this position.
Before trading for McCarthy John Harbaugh talked to his brother Jim about him during his Michigan days and GM Joe Schoen made calls to others to gather as much info as they can @NFLonFOX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) September 28, 2026
Although Kevin O'Connell has done an incredible job in his time with the Vikings, especially his lone year coaching Sam Darnold, he's far from a QB whisperer at this point. Quarterbacks have left Minnesota and had success elsewhere (Darnold, Daniel Jones), and perhaps McCarthy can be the latest.
Having a head coach who believes in you is critical for a quarterback. If O'Connell believed in McCarthy at one point, that belief definitely faded over the last year, and the way McCarthy played showed it.
One of the biggest knocks on McCarthy coming out of Michigan was his lack of volume as a passer. He was more of a point guard for that National Championship team at Michigan, although he certainly made his share of big plays as well.
The physical and athletic tools have always been there for McCarthy, but when the organizational belief in him began to fade, his situation with the Vikings reached a premature point of no return.
Now that he's back with a Harbaugh, McCarthy is back in a culture similar to the one he was in at Michigan.
The Giants are 2-1 after the first three weeks, and even though their stock as a team is falling after the Jaxson Dart injury, they absolutely have hopes of staying competitive. History would tell us that there's a decent chance we'll see McCarthy on the field at some point this season, and this could be his best opportunity to get his career back on track.
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