The Minnesota Vikings are 6-0, but that isn’t stopping the conversation regarding whether their decision to trade J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants for a Day 3 pick was premature.
McCarthy has put together solid numbers in his first three appearances for New York, earning a 95.2 passer rating while throwing for 495 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, per StatMuse.
Continued improvement could help the Giants establish themselves as the favorite to win the NFC East even after losing their starting QB Jaxson Dart for the season. Amid the success that McCarthy is having in New York, Giants tackle Jermaine Eluemunor spoke on why their QB wasn’t able to find consistent success with the Vikings.
“You could say that [McCarthy didn’t have a coach that believed in him with the Vikings], or it could be that just wasn’t for him,” Eluemunor said in an Oct. 28 video from “Up & Adams.” “Minnesota just wasn’t the place for him. Baltimore wasn’t for me. New England wasn’t for me. Vegas was for me. New York is for me.
“I feel like life is a journey, and the NFL is a journey. Everyone likes to say, ‘Oh, this guy’s a journeyman. This guy’s a journeyman.’ I did go on a journey to find where I belonged, and I belong in New York. J.J. is on his own path, his own journey right now to find where he belongs.”
J.J. McCarthy Gets Major Boost After Vikings Trade
While Eluemunor believes that McCarthy is on this journey to find his place in the NFL, he did note that the Vikings’ former first-round pick does belong in the league as a starting QB.
“J.J. belongs in the NFL,” Eluemunor added. “He’s a starting quarterback in the NFL, and I think these next 10-plus games, he’s going to show just why he belongs in the NFL. He’s going to do his thing. I think having Harbs, who believes in him, an offensive line that believes in him, and a run game that will carry the ball for him makes it the perfect place for him.”
Eli Manning on J.J. McCarthy’s Success So Far With Giants
Amid McCarthy’s recent form and success with New York, former Giants QB Eli Manning is loving what he’s seeing from the newcomer.
“The way he’s looked the last two games, and in the fourth quarter of the game before, he gets in there [and] in that situation, he has nothing to lose, so he gets in there and starts slinging it [and] he’s playing confidently,” Manning told Colin Cowherd in an Oct. 29 video from The Volume.
“I think it was so helpful to get him those reps and get him in at the end of that game. When you’re running your two-minute drill, these are probably the plays you’ve run the most.”
If McCarthy continues to perform the way he’s doing now and is a reason for the Giants winning the division and reaching the playoffs, the conversations regarding whether the Vikings gave up on him too soon will continue. Moreover, his success will be compared alongside what Kyler Murray does.
Vikings Receive Strong Message Regarding Giants’ J.J. McCarthy