With the sixth pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the New York Giants did not select quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Instead, they went with superstar wide receiver Malik Nabers.
McCarthy went off the board four picks later when the Minnesota Vikings called his name at No. 10 overall.
“Malik was our guy,” general manager Joe Schoen said at the time. “He was the guy we targeted.”
In what was a hyped quarterback class, some still felt McCarthy was a bit over-drafted. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they never found out if that was the case or if they had walked away with a steal.
McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus during the preseason and was lost for the year following a minor surgery. The Vikings were forced to turn to veteran Sam Darnold, who put up career-best numbers while leading the Vikings to the playoffs.
Due to Darnold’s success and the ironic presence of backup quarterback Daniel Jones, who the Giants released mid-season, some believe McCarthy may now be available via trade.
Although the Vikings have remained mum on the future of McCarthy, many experts and analysts from around the league have suggested the quarterback-needy Giants attempt to acquire him this offseason.
But not everyone is on board with that line of thinking. One anonymous NFC scout told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post that the Giants should avoid McCarthy like the plague.
“There’s no way to know for sure about his knee until he’s on the field,” the scout said. “I wouldn’t do it. Would you buy a car if all you saw was a very nice picture on FaceTime and then were told, ‘It got in a minor fender-bender, but it’s good as new now?’ His ability to make plays with his legs was one of his main tools.”
There is reason to have caution over any potential trade for McCarthy but others, like ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., feel the Giants are so desperate they should just swing for the fences risk be damned.
The issue here is that the Giants didn’t view McCarthy as the No. 6 overall pick a year ago. To acquire him now, when he’s a year older and with a significant injury under his belt, Schoen would likely have to surrender the No. 3 overall pick and then some.
For a team with so many holes and a desperate need for roster depth, giving up additional assets for a quarterback they already passed over seems foolish. And that’s assuming the Vikings would even be open to trading him anyway.
