On Sunday, the New York Giants will take on the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium.
Newly acquired quarterback J.J. McCarthy is not expected to appear in the game as Jameis Winston remains the team’s starter despite his up-and-down performances in his first two games since Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury.
McCarthy, who is still acclimating himself to the New York Giants offense, still does not have a defined role on the team according to head coach John Harbaugh. According to Harbaugh, the Giants have not yet decided whether McCarthy will be the second- or third-string quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
Now, McCarthy has shared his thoughts on being traded from the Vikings to the New York Giants.
New York Giants Quarterback J.J. McCarthy Shares True Feelings After Vikings Trade
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan posted on X: “J.J. McCarthy said it was a bit of a “shock” that he was traded. But at the end of the day, “it’s an opportunity” to show what he can do with the Giants.
He’s looking into the present. Putting the Vikings in the past.”
He’s looking into the present. Putting the Vikings in the past.
After being a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy had a rocky tenure with the Minnesota Vikings. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season as he underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus that he suffered during the preseason.
Entering the 2025 season, the Vikings moved on from Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold and named McCarthy the team’s starter.
Despite posting a 6-4 record as a starter, McCarthy struggled during his 10 starts as he threw 12 interceptions to only 11 touchdowns. Additionally, he suffered multiple injuries, which forced him to miss seven games.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh said of New York’s newest quarterback, “He’s talented. He was a top-10 pick for a reason, and there’s plenty of good tape, even in the NFL, out there…
There’s a lot of things he could do better from what he did, obviously, and we’re going to see where it goes from here. I mean, that’s really what it boils down to. But just from a talent standpoint, I don’t think anybody would deny that J.J. McCarthy is a very talented young quarterback.”
First Impressions on J.J. McCarthy with the Giants
Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy shared his first impressions on McCarthy after his first couple of practices.
Nagy said, “He’s done well since he’s been here. 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 are going to come in here and grind and then dig into it. And it’s crazy because you’re basically taking all of OTA’s, 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.”
Giants QB J.J. McCarthy Shares True Feelings After Vikings Trade