Why Giants trade for J.J. McCarthy was actually a steal, and not an overpay

Why Giants trade for J.J. McCarthy was actually a steal, and not an overpay originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The New York Giants lost Jaxson Dart for the 2026 season after Week 2 and knew they needed to go out and add at least one quarterback.

Their decision was to acquire J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings, an intriguing pickup of a quarterback who has become a complete bust for the Vikings. They sent a 2027 fifth-round pick to land the Vikings’ former first-round QB.

That price was considered an overpay by some in the NFL, according to Jonathan Jones of The Athletic. But Jones also outlined a very important point as to why this might be a steal, and not an overpay.

Why Giants’ trade for J.J. McCarthy was a steal, not an overpay

“Sources I spoke to around the league ahead of the trade anticipated McCarthy would be dealt for a sixth-round pick, so a fifth was better than expected for new Vikings GM Nolan Teasley,” Jones writes.

That isn’t a massive difference in trade value for McCarthy, but if teams expected him to go for a sixth-rounder, and the Giants sent a fifth, then they did overpay, even if only a little bit.

However, Jones shared a very important fact that highlights how the Giants might’ve actually gotten a steal in McCarthy with this Vikings trade.

“One part of the math I think some people are missing: There’s a good chance New York can get its fifth back next offseason,” Jones writes. “… As long as McCarthy doesn’t play poorly this year, the option to trade him next offseason will be there.”

The Giants acquired McCarthy for a fifth-round pick. That isn’t an extreme cost, and it’s totally possible that next offseason a team will be willing to take a chance on McCarthy for the same price.

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Of course, that relies on McCarthy not playing horribly when he gets a chance for the Giants this season. If he’s okay, then the Giants could get the fifth-round pick they spent on McCarthy back, effectively making this a free rental of McCarthy in 2026.

On the off chance he comes in and thrives for the Giants, there’s a scenario where the Giants could get more than a fifth-rounder as well.

Even if it goes the opposite direction and McCarthy struggles a bit, and the Giants are still able to trade him for a sixth-round pick, it would be a worthwhile attempt to try and see if McCarthy can figure anything out with a change of scenery.

Dart is the quarterback of the future, and Jameis Winston is signed through 2027. So, a McCarthy trade for the Giants in the offseason is very much in play.

That’s why this trade can become a steal for the Giants, as opposed to being an overpay. There’s a chance they didn’t actually lose any draft capital when it’s all said and done, and they might’ve even moved up the board depending on how he plays as well.

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