J.J. McCarthy is winning over the New York Giants and making senior figures within the franchise forget about a legitimate concern they harboured about the young quarterback.
That concern was revealed by senior vice president of player personnel Chris Mara. The brother of CEO John Mara told the New York Post’s Steve Serby in an exclusive interview why the Giants weren’t always sold on McCarthy.
Mara revealed the Giants strongly considered taking McCarthy in the 2024 NFL draft, because “We had him rated very high from a skill set. … We weren’t quite sure about the maturity level, but we loved his skill set. He showed the ability to win, the ability to lead.”
Questions about McCarthy’s mental readiness for the pros were serious enough for the Giants to pivot to wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth-overall pick. That decision looked justified when McCarthy flopped after being taken 10th overall by the Minnesota Vikings, but the 23-year-old is changing hearts and minds since being traded to the Giants on September 28 this year.
McCarthy has also surprised his new team in one key area.
Chris Mara’s Surprised by J.J. McCarthy Change
McCarthy appears to have offset any worries about his temperament in his brief time with the Giants. Mara’s no longer concerned because McCarthy “is a completely different-looking person for me. On the field and off the field. He’s a terrific guy, he’s matured, he’s married now, has a kid.”
Perhaps he’s more mature, but the true test will be when McCarthy endures a few hardships with the Giants. So far, he’s 1-0 as a starter after an almost perfect showing against the Houston Texans in Week 7.
McCarthy’s physical talents are enough for Mara to admit being “in awe when I watch him in practice. He’s got a much better arm than I thought he ever had. He moves around great. Listen, the arrow’s up on him, too.”
The arm strength was obvious when McCarthy connected with Nabers for 42 yards at Reliant Stadium.
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This was a moment frozen in time for the Giants. A real-life fusion of what might’ve been for the previous regime had Mara and others been convinced about McCarthy two years ago.
Giants Getting Answers to What If? Draft Moment
McCarthy could have been the quarterback former head coach Brian Daboll needed to turn around his dismal tenure. Daboll was still in charge when the Giants were running the rule over McCarthy during the pre-draft process in 2024.
General manager Joe Schoen led those who studied McCarthy closely. The Giants ultimately passed on the then-Michigan star, but that decision only prolonged Daboll’s pain.
He didn’t survive after being unable to win games following Schoen’s three-pick trade to acquire Jaxson Dart in the first round in 2025. Dart’s supposed to be the quarterback of the future, but his devastating and season-ending knee injury against the Los Angeles Rams this season gave Schoen a do-over regarding McCarthy.
Daboll’s replacement John Harbaugh is benefitting from the Giants’ decision to give McCarthy a second look. It was a bold call after those concerns about maturity appeared well-founded while McCarthy toiled in Minnesota.
To his credit, McCarthy’s working to put those concerns behind him, but it’s still early days to judge whether the Giants got the QB Schoen and Daboll warmed to over two years ago.
Giants VP Reveals Concern About J.J. McCarthy