J.J. McCarthy’s ‘whirlwind’ Giants tenure takes big leap into starting role

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It’s J.J. McCarthy time for the Giants.

McCarthy was a bust for the Minnesota Vikings, sitting on the bench and with his career up in the air before being traded to the Giants less than three weeks ago in exchange for a fifth-round pick. On Wednesday, he was announced as the starter for the Giants this Sunday in Houston.

John Harbaugh said McCarthy, who sparked a rally in the fourth quarter that fell just short Sunday against the Saints when he replaced Jameis Winston, would remain under center this week against the Texans.

While Harbaugh didn’t say McCarthy would be the starter the rest of the year, he did add, “That’s the plan going forward.”

McCarthy will be the Giants third starting quarterback in just seven games this year, with Winston having already taken over for Jaxson Dart when Dart went down with a knee injury in Week 2.

Winston was inconsistent in his four games as the starter and the Giants didn’t waste much time turning to McCarthy, the 10th overall pick by the Vikings in the 2024 draft.

“I feel like just being around a new group of guys, new system, new coaching staff, just a new culture,” McCarthy said. “Everything about this place, it feels very fitting for me.”

McCarthy, 23, never impressed with Minnesota out of Michigan.

He missed his rookie year with a torn meniscus in his knee, but became the starter with the Vikings when Sam Darnold signed with Seattle, going 6-4 with 11 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions last season as he was in and out of the lineup with injuries.

It’s the latest change for the Giants. Winston went 2-1-1 in his four games as the starter and is just one week removed from tossing three touchdown passes — and no interceptions — as the Giants rallied for a tie against the Commanders.

He followed that with a pair of interceptions against New Orleans, which led to the switch to McCarthy, when the Giants trailed 34-10.

Only one non-starting quarterback has thrown for more fourth-quarter yards in a game over the last 25 years than the 243 yards McCarthy put up Sunday. McCarthy’s final pass — on a fourth-and-1 from the 14-yard line with 12 seconds left — was incomplete, which prevented the Giants from having a chance to win the game on their last possession.

“There were some good things, there were some bad things,” McCarthy said of his performance. “It was really fun just to be out there and be able to execute the plays.”

It will be McCarthy’s first start since Week 18 with the Vikings last season and it will be a return to Houston’s Reliant Stadium, where he led Michigan to a win in the national championship game in 2024.

He went on to miss all of his rookie season and battled injuries again last year before Kyler Murray won the starting job in Minnesota this year.

There had been thought the Giants could at least have waited until after next week’s bye to make the change to give McCarthy more time to prepare — especially with Houston featuring a defense designed by head coach DeMeco Ryans — but Harbaugh said that was never a factor in his decision.

McCarthy and Harbaugh said the new quarterback was already comfortable with the playbook, which will likely go back to some of the plays it featured with Dart, in an effort to take advantage of McCarthy’s mobility — which resembles Dart’s.

But as wide receiver Darnell Mooney said, “He’s not Dart. He’s J.J.”

McCarthy called the last few weeks “a whirlwind” and is hopeful his time in Minnesota — even if it didn’t go as planned — serves him well.

“I believe just experience does wonders,” McCarthy said. “Being able to be in that same situation, where you might have made a mistake the last time, this time you’re just going to react better and make a more well-rounded response decision in that situation. … Every time you step on the field, it’s an opportunity.

“Whether you’re the starting guy, whether you’re not, you have a chance to prove yourself, prove it to your peers, and prove it to everyone around you. And at the end of the day, I approach it the same way.”