Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is leaving his signature eye black behind. The New York Giants starter told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan this week that he plans to go without it against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 8, and moving forward.
The thick black smears were part of McCarthy’s game-day look as a teenager, through his national championship run at Michigan and into his time with the Vikings. Now he’s dropping the routine as he settles into a starting job in New York.
McCarthy had already gone without eye black in his first Giants start against the Houston Texans. As NFL.com detailed in October, that was a nod to an old rivalry. McCarthy skipped the eye black against Ohio State at Michigan, and he carried the tradition into the NFL when he faced former Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Raanan reported Sunday morning that McCarthy originally planned to bring it back. The plan for Philadelphia makes that one-game exception in Houston the start of a longer change.
J.J. McCarthy Earned His Giants Starting Job After the Vikings Trade
The Vikings drafted McCarthy 10th overall in 2024. A preseason knee injury cost him his rookie year, and he threw for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 10 starts for Minnesota in 2025. By September 2026, Kyler Murray had the starting job and Carson Wentz was his backup.
That left McCarthy third on the depth chart when Minnesota traded him to New York for a 2027 fifth-round pick on Sept. 28. The Giants had lost Jaxson Dart for the season with a knee injury, opening a path to playing time. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell pointed to that opportunity in New York when he discussed the trade and said he’d be rooting for McCarthy.
McCarthy came off the bench against the New Orleans Saints before coach John Harbaugh named him the starter over Jameis Winston for Week 7. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards with zero turnovers in a 27-21 overtime win in Houston. Two of his downfield completions put the Giants inside the 5-yard line and set up touchdowns.
Giants Give McCarthy His First NFC East Start Against the Eagles
New York comes out of its bye at 4-2-1 and atop the NFC East. Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Fox, gives McCarthy his first divisional start and a chance to end a long drought. The Giants last won in Philadelphia in 2013.
There’s a matchup worth watching beyond the new look. The Giants’ Week 9 preview credited McCarthy with 392 yards on throws traveling at least 10 yards downfield across his first two appearances. Philadelphia gave up 850 yards on such throws during its six-game losing streak.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio already called McCarthy a “steal” for the Giants. On Sunday, his defense gets the first shot at McCarthy in a division game.
Former Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Breaks With Longtime Tradition as Giants QB