EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants traded for Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Monday, sending a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to Minnesota for the 2024 first-round pick.
McCarthy, taken by the Vikings with the No. 10 pick, was the third-string quarterback in Minnesota behind starter Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz.
Giants coach John Harbaugh said after Sunday's victory over the Tennessee Titans that Jameis Winston would remain the Giants' starter even if the team added another quarterback. He reiterated that Monday after the trade for McCarthy.
The Giants host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
"Jameis is starting. You guys asked me that [Sunday] night. He's our starting quarterback, and that's how we're rolling," Harbaugh said. "We'll be ready to play this next game and going forward. Excited about Jameis. ... I'm looking forward to seeing where we go, and as we go we'll get a chance to build around Jameis' strengths."
Winston became the starter following an injury to Jaxson Dart, who is out for at least the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus and MCL in his left knee Friday.
Winston will remain the Giants' starter for the foreseeable future as McCarthy gets acclimated and learns the offense.
"Jameis will be the starter for as long as I can see into the future," Harbaugh said. "But I don't know. Nobody knows. What I do know is that we're going to be playing this game against the Cardinals on Sunday and Jameis will be our starter for sure and he's going to play a winning football game."
McCarthy was coached by Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and now will be coached by his brother in the NFL.
"He always had good things to say about J.J.," John Harbaugh said. "I mean, I kind of watched it. I was following Michigan when Jim was coaching there. I don't follow them as much anymore, but when Jim was there, that was a team I watched closely. So I've watched J.J. play a lot."
McCarthy will be the Giants' No. 2 or 3 quarterback this week as he gets acclimated and learns their offense. John Harbaugh thought that would take some time and considers it a challenge.
McCarthy landed at or near the top of the Giants' list of potential targets early last week after Dart was injured. The front office heavily scouted him coming out of Michigan and even considered him with the sixth pick that year.
"His skill set is ... he's a talented guy. I mean, there's just no doubt about it. He's talented," Harbaugh said. "He was a top-10 pick for a reason, and there's plenty of good tape even in the NFL out there. ... He can throw it, he can run it. He can make plays."
McCarthy lost his starting job with the Vikings in training camp to Murray and was demoted to third string after an ankle injury kept him out of the Vikings' final preseason game. His career with the Vikings ended with 10 starts, and his departure comes at an age -- 23 years and 9 months -- that makes him younger than most of the NFL's quarterbacks who were selected in the 2026 draft.
But a combination of injuries, poor throwing mechanics and immaturity left the Vikings unwilling to wait on the possibility of future development -- making him one of the biggest draft busts in team history. McCarthy is one of four Vikings first-round picks -- along with Lewis Cine, Dimitrius Underwood and Leo Hayden -- to play 10 or fewer games for the team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"We got to the point where the return made sense for us now to get an asset that in all honesty is going to help us in the future or it could help us this season," Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley said Monday. "We don't know. So, to have another asset that can help us continue to build, because the season and this roster is going to constantly evolve, and today's another example of that."
Among all NFL teams, McCarthy is one of four quarterbacks in the past 25 years to start 10 or fewer games for the team that drafted them, joining Paxton Lynch, Trey Lance and Johnny Manziel, per Elias. The list does not include Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, who were traded for each other shortly after being selected in the 2004 draft.
McCarthy's final appearance in a Vikings uniform, an Aug. 22 preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, encapsulated his tenure. After misfiring on two throws to open receivers in the end zone, McCarthy was hit while in the pocket and suffered a mild ankle sprain. He got up slowly and walked to the sideline, and coach Kevin O'Connell ended his day earlier than scheduled.
"We tried to do everything we could, collaborate with a plan for amongst coaches, amongst everybody in this building to try to put him in position to develop and grow," O'Connell said Monday. "And I do think he did. I do think he did develop and grow, and I think he improved. I think he's improved this offseason."
O'Connell added that he wished he had "unlimited time" to develop a young quarterback "but at the same way, that's not the way it works."
Winston has struggled since replacing the injured Dart, completing just 51% of his pass attempts for 229 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.
The Giants on Monday waived quarterback Jake Haener, who had recently been signed to the active roster. However, the Giants plan to re-sign Haener to their practice squad after he clears waivers, a source told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
The Giants defeated the Titans 12-7 at MetLife Stadium, despite not scoring a touchdown, to improve to 2-1 this season.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.