Kevin O'Connell disregarding one of his biggest beliefs by trading J.J. McCarthy

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell disregarding one of his biggest beliefs by trading J.J. McCarthy to Giants

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Sep 29, 2026 8:49 AM ET

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell believes franchises bail on their struggling young quarterbacks too often. That didn't stop him from abandoning the J.J. McCarthy experiment.

The Vikings traded the 23-year-old QB to the New York Giants on Monday for a 2027 fifth-round pick. For a guy who preaches patience, O'Connell sure isn't exercising it. Few teams have punted on developing a QB taken in the top 10 of the NFL Draft as quickly as Minnesota is giving up on McCarthy (pick No. 10 in 2024).

J.J. McCarthy joins bad company after trade to Giants

Per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, McCarthy has become the sixth QB taken in the top 10 in the common draft era (since 1967) to make 10 or fewer starts for their original team. None of the five other QBs Dubow listed became a franchise player.

McCarthy missed his rookie season after suffering a season-ending right knee injury in preseason. Despite making a Pro Bowl in 2024, the Vikings let Sam Darnold join the Seattle Seahawks in free agency and handed the keys to McCarthy. He flopped.

JJ McCarthy is 6th QB drafted in top 10 in common draft era to make 10 or fewer starts for team he made debut. Others:
Rich Campbell, No. 6 in 1981 for Packers, 0 starts
Trey Lance, No. 3 in 2021 for 49ers, 4 starts
Jack Thompson, No. 3 in 1979 for Bengals, 5 starts
Marty Domres,…
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) September 28, 2026

McCarthy went 6-4 in 10 starts in 2025 but threw more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11) and posted a paltry 35.6 QBR. Minnesota narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing 9-8.

This offseason, the Vikings signed 2019 No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray to compete with McCarthy for the starting job. McCarthy lost the battle in training camp and was soon demoted to QB3 behind Carson Wentz. Murray has gone 2-0, while Wentz led the Vikings to a 9-3 Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears while filling in for Murray, who suffered a concussion in Week 1.

With Murray and Wentz doing enough to keep the team in early playoff contention, McCarthy became the odd man out in the Vikings QB room. Now, he'll aim to salvage his career with the 2-1 Giants under a coach who should already know the QB a little.

In New York, former Michigan Wolverine McCarthy will play for head coach John Harbaugh, the older brother of his college coach, Jim (now with the Los Angeles Chargers). He'll also add depth to a QB room that's seeking to replace Jaxson Dart, who suffered a season-ending left knee injury in a 28-6 Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Backup QB Jameis Winston led the Giants to a 12-7 Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans (0-3) but has posted a below-average 22.9 QBR in two games. Monitor whether McCarthy supplants him at some point.

O'Connell clearly believes young QBs deserve a long runway to learn from their mistakes and reach their potential. For McCarthy, though, it was much shorter. Guess the coach isn't so patient.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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