J.J. McCarthy’s Giants run is starting to look like the kind of quarterback rescue story the NFL keeps producing.
The formula is familiar by now: a highly drafted passer struggles early, spends time getting knocked around in the league, then lands in the right place and finally clicks. Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have all walked that road in recent years. McCarthy may be next.
The Vikings took him 10th overall in the 2024 draft after trading up, but the fit never took. Injuries played a part, and so did McCarthy’s own uneven development as a pro. Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell, despite his reputation as one of the league’s sharpest offensive minds and a coach who helped steer Darnold and Jones into better seasons, wasn’t going to be the one to turn McCarthy from a Michigan-style game manager into an NFL franchise quarterback.
That led to McCarthy’s move to the Giants on September 28, when Minnesota sent him to New York for a 2027 fifth-round pick. At that point, his stock had cratered.
He was stuck as the Vikings’ third-string quarterback behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, while the Giants were scrambling for answers after Jaxson Dart went down with meniscus and MCL injuries in his left knee in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams. Big Blue needed help behind Jameis Winston, and McCarthy needed a reset.
He got it in a hurry in the Giants’ 34-27 Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Winston threw an interception with 12:28 left, and New York was already trailing 34-10 after jumping out to a 10-0 lead.
Head coach John Harbaugh turned to McCarthy hoping for a spark. What came next was bigger than that.
In less than a full fourth quarter, McCarthy went 11 of 21 for 243 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a 90.0 passer rating. The throws weren’t just safe, underneath completions either; he was driving the ball downfield and hitting explosive plays right on target.
That performance earned him Secret Superstars honors in Week 6 and pushed him into the starting job for the Giants’ Week 7 matchup with the Houston Texans. DeMeco Ryans’ defense wasn’t the elite unit it had been in 2025, but it still represented a real test.
McCarthy answered it. In a 27-21 overtime win, he completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and a 99.1 passer rating.
The Giants leaned on the run game, but McCarthy kept delivering accurate throws. More importantly, the structure around him started to show up in the way the offense was being built.
The connection with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, senior offensive assistant Greg Roman and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan has mattered, even if few people were excited about those hires when the offseason began. So far, it has all fit McCarthy well.
“Preparation,” McCarthy said after the Texans game, when asked how the tight-window throws have been such a big part of his recent performances. “I feel like preparation, over the years of playing football, you just refine the routine each and every week.
I feel like I’m in a really good spot right now, just Monday through Saturday and just being able to have that trust in these guys as early as now, since I’ve been here. I haven’t been here long, but I trust those guys every time the ball comes out of my hand.
I trust the offensive line up front. I trust the backs are going to get us in great situations when I do hit the checkdowns, but at the end of the day, it’s the players around me.”
Now the 4-2-1 Giants turn to a 2-6 Philadelphia Eagles team that has been a major disappointment, with Vic Fangio’s defense taking a surprising step backward. Fangio addressed the Giants on Tuesday and singled out McCarthy, too.
“They’ve got a really good offense. They’ve got skill at the receiving position.
They did a nice job raiding the Ravens, not only for John [Harbaugh], but for [TE Isaiah] Likely and [FB Patrick] Ricard. They’ve got a lot of the Ravens-type offense that they had when Greg [Roman] was there, and they’ve intermixed Kansas City-type passing in there with Matt [Nagy].
They’ve got it going right now. They’ve got good wideouts, good tight ends, two good backs.
The quarterback has come in, in a short period of time, and really done a nice job, for them to get him for a [fifth-round] pick is a steal.”
If McCarthy keeps this going and helps the NFC East-leading Giants reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 season, his career will have taken a very different turn than the one it started with.
In Other News...
Isaiah Likely Has A Big Eagles Opportunity While Giants Weigh A Change
Isaiah Likelys first outing with J.J. McCarthy under center for the Giants was a quiet one, as he caught two of four targets for 12 yards and didnt get into the end zone. Still, the setup for the next game looks more favorable. New York is favored against the Eagles, and Philadelphias defense has had trouble with slot receivers, which could give Likely a cleaner path to a bigger role if the passing game finds a rhythm.
The wrinkle is that the Giants are also looking at ways to reshape the offense, and that could affect how much they lean on Likely going forward. If the roster changes they are considering come together, the attack could look different in a hurry, leaving his usage in a less certain place even as this matchup offers a chance to build on a slow start. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Could Still Add The One Upgrade This 6-2 Start Demands
The Giants 6-2 start has them sitting atop the NFC East, and it has also put them squarely in the middle of trade-season chatter. ESPNs Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have both connected New York to possible upgrades, with the front office believed to be at least exploring help at defensive tackle and running back as the November 10 deadline approaches.
One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Jonathan Taylor, a reminder that the Giants are not just protecting a good record but trying to see how far it can carry them. They have already checked on other targets and come away empty in some cases, which suggests the search is real, even if the exact move is still unclear. [Read more 🡒]
Theo Johnson Has A Giants Problem He Cant Ignore
The Giants have a tight end setup that already feels a little unusual, with Isaiah Likely being used mostly as a slot receiver while Theo Johnson handles the more traditional in-line role. For now, Johnson remains the player most tied to that job, but his uneven production and blocking issues have left the team with a question it cannot really ignore as it looks ahead.
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports recently pointed to LSU tight end Trey'Dez Green as a possible future answer if Johnson does not take a clear step forward. Green brings the kind of size, speed and contested-catch ability that can make a passing game more dangerous, though he would still need to sharpen his run-blocking to fit what the Giants want from the position. [Read more 🡒]