McCarthy was traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the Giants on Monday morning, bringing to an end a rough stretch that lasted not even three seasons. The Vikings drafted the former Michigan Wolverine 10th overall in 2024, but since then, he's played only 10 games. He missed the entirety of his rookie season with a torn meniscus — also making unwanted history by being the first first-round QB to miss his whole rookie season with injury — then missed seven games in 2025 due to a high ankle sprain, concussion and fracture in his throwing hand.
McCarthy probably hoped that 2026 would finally be his year, but he couldn't even win the backup spot, with the newly signed Kyler Murray getting the top job and veteran Carson Wentz winning QB2. Now that he's getting a new shot at playing for the Giants, he's made history that he probably wishes he hadn't. Vikings reporter Kevin Seifert of ESPN, citing information from the Elias Sports Bureau, said McCarthy is the fourth QB of the last 25 years to be a first-round draft pick and to start 10 or fewer games for the team that drafted him.
He joins an ignominious group: Paxton Lynch, Trey Lance and Johnny Manziel. Of those three, it's likely that Lance has had the best career, which is saying something, given that he's currently backing up Justin Herbert for the Los Angeles Chargers. Unlike Lynch, who's playing arena football, and Manziel, who tried mixed martial arts earlier this year, McCarthy has a real chance to change the narrative.
He'll get a shot at the starting job currently held by Jameis Winston since Jaxson Dart's season-ending injury. Under John Harbaugh, brother of McCarthy's college coach, Jim Harbaugh, McCarthy gets a fresh start. He leaves Minnesota worse off, though, with the Vikings only getting a fifth-round pick in return for him.
That's the type of draft pick and transaction fans don't soon forget.
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