Former Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has a fresh start after his trade to the New York Giants on Sept. 28. Now, his first step will be learning the team’s playbook. Once he’s comfortable with the Giants’ offense, the former Top 10 pick will have to wait for his opportunity.
If McCarthy sees the field, he will have a few interesting young weapons to get the ball to: Wideout Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo. With McCarthy now joining New York’s practices, both players got a look at the former first-round pick.
Skattebo spoke to the media on Oct. 1 and shared his first impressions of McCarthy.
“He’s a good player,” Skattebo told reporters. “He’s a quarterback we brought in because we needed that. We didn’t have that in depth, and he looks good on the scout team right now, throwing the ball around and just getting his arm loose. He looks good, man.
“He’s a quarterback in the NFL, and I feel like no matter who you see come in here, it’s going to look the same. It’s going to look good, and he knows what he’s doing for sure.”
Elsewhere, Nabers said he’d already seen McCarthy up close before the Giants traded a Day 3 pick for the quarterback.
“Strong arm,” Nabers told reporters. “I was with J.J. in a 7-on-7 All-American game, so I was with him before we went to college. So he has a pretty good arm, strong arm. He’s catching on quick. He’s out there throwing, touching, catching footballs. Feel like he has confidence out there. He’s targeting receivers pretty well.”
Giants OC Matt Nagy on What He’s Seen From J.J. McCarthy
Meanwhile, Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy shared his early verdict on what he’s seen from McCarthy since the trade on Sept. 28.
“He’s done well since he’s been here,” Nagy told reporters on Oct. 1. “I didn’t do a whole lot on him coming out, so I didn’t know a whole lot about him, but I talked to a lot of people, got a lot of good reviews back from it, and I think that really the last 48 hours that he’s been here, just like most guys, they’re going to come in here and grind and then dig into it.
“It’s crazy because you’re basically taking all of OTAs, just trying to learn the foundation, which guys have done in five or six months, and now taking that into two days. So he’s done a great job with it. We’re impressed. It’s impressive. But at the same point in time, too, we also understand that it can be a lot. So there’s a little bit of a balance.”
Adam Thielen Eager for Ex-Vikings Teammate to Get Fresh Start
While McCarthy has to adjust to a new environment and challenge as he looks to get his career back on track, former Vikings wideout Adam Thielen said he’s excited about this fresh start for his ex-teammate.
“J.J. gets a fresh start,” Thielen said in a Sept. 29 video from SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He gets an opportunity to prove who he is and who he thinks he is, and the Vikings kind of cut ties and get to move on and plan for their future now without him being the developmental guy to really pour a lot of time and energy into to develop him. So I think, again, it’s not a surprising thing.
“The longer you’ve been around this league and in this league and seeing all the stuff that’s happened over the years, it’s not surprising. And again, I’m very excited for J.J. to get that fresh start, to get a new set of eyes on him, for people to kind of judge him for who he is. And we’ll see what happens.”
Giants Stars Share First Thoughts on J.J. McCarthy After Vikings Trade