‘I’m So Disappointed,’ ‘Love It For The Giants’ — Packers Star Micah Parsons Makes Feelings Crystal Clear on J.J. McCarthy Trade
· Yahoo Sports
The New York Giants made a big move on Monday by acquiring Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy in a trade that will send a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to Minnesota. The move gives McCarthy a fresh start in New York after a difficult, injury-affected start to his NFL career.
While there were opinions aplenty over what the Giants are getting in the Michigan alum, Green Bay Packers star Micah Parsons chose to ask questions of the Vikings front office and their decision to move on from the 2024 first-round pick.
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Micah Parsons Takes Aim at Vikings Over J.J. McCarthy Trade
McCarthy’s NFL career itself got off to a difficult start, as he missed his entire rookie season after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee. The next year, the Vikings moved on from Sam Darnold, while also choosing to let Daniel Jones walk to the Indianapolis Colts.
Those moves opened the door for McCarthy to become Minnesota’s QB1 in 2025, but his performance was underwhelming, as he posted a 67.0 PFN QB Impact Score, which ranked 34th in the league.
While some may see Minnesota’s latest decision to trade McCarthy to the Giants as understandable given his struggles, Parsons offered a different perspective.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m disappointed in the Vikings for that,” Parsons said on the latest episode of “The Edge” podcast.
“I’m so disappointed. Love it for the Giants because obviously they need a backup quarterback, but this is the guy’s what, third year in the league? And he’s traded?
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“He was injured in his rookie year, and Sam Darnold started. Sam took off. The whole point of not letting Sam Darnold come out of the building was that he was going to be the franchise guy. If you’re saying, ‘Hey, we’re not going to pay Sam Darnold,’ who’s a Super Bowl champion now, what are we doing? As a front office, how are we going to keep allowing this?”
McCarthy entered the NFL with sky-high expectations. He helped Michigan win a national championship, following which the Vikings selected him No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, injuries and limited playing time have slowed McCarthy’s development. He has appeared in just 10 NFL games so far.
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That is why Parsons took issue with McCarthy falling to third on Minnesota’s depth chart in such a short time, calling that aspect of the situation the “disrespectful part.”
Parsons also criticized teams for moving on from young quarterbacks “way too early.”
“From this generation, we’ve seen guys develop later than earlier,” Parsons said. “And we see the special guys develop earlier, but not everyone develops at the same rate. Honestly, him getting traded in his third year, and they say he’s the third quarterback behind Wentz, was crazy. I think that’s crazy.”
After the Giants traded for McCarthy, Pro Football Network’s Ben Rolfe had a few tidy observations.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the Vikings could have spent that selection on Brock Bowers, kept Darnold, and potentially been in an even better position in 2026 than they already are,” Rolfe said.
“An offense of Darnold, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Brock Bowers, and TJ Hockenson would have been legitimately terrifying, especially when they have a defense marshalled by Brian Flores. Instead, the Vikings took McCarthy, fell short of a Super Bowl in 2024, and then let Darnold leave.
“We will never know if Bowers could have been the piece that got that roster over the hump in 2024, but the domino effects of that decision to draft McCarthy have had major ramifications on the franchise, which now has just a fifth-round pick and regrets to show for their selection.”
McCarthy will now reunite with a familiar coaching family in a new setting. He played under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and will now work with Jim’s brother, John Harbaugh, after being traded to the Giants.
However, McCarthy will not immediately take over New York’s starting job. Harbaugh previously said that Jameis Winston would remain the starter even if the team added another quarterback, and he reiterated that stance following the McCarthy trade.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.