Sep 27, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) looks on prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy admitted that they are throwing a lot at new quarterback JJ McCarthy, who was acquired from the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week to add to a quarterback room that lost Jaxson Dart for the season.
“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,” Nagy said. “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.”
The first priority is to get the “verbiage” of the offense down, rather than throwing mechanics that have been so inconsistent in Minnesota over the last two years.
“It starts with the cadence, as simple as that sounds. It sounds easy, doesn’t it? But it starts there, there’s a rhythm to that,” Nagy continued. “Then you take it to the personnel, and you got to know all the personnel. Then you got to know the formations, then the motions, then the shifts. Then you got to know the play, and then you got to know what the defense is doing. So, there’s a lot involved; it takes some time… So, what our job is going to be is to balance it, to see what’s fair to him. What can he handle, what’s real? And then you just go from there. And I think that’s where, as long as we all have kind of the same standards and expectations as we go through this, then that’s only fair to everybody.”
McCarthy’s arrival has understandably sent a warning shot to backup Jameis Winston, who has struggled in his two games relieving the injured Dart. The Giants’ offense has not scored a touchdown in the eight quarters he’s been under center.
If that lack of production continues, McCarthy will get the call sooner rather than later.
“I feel challenged to get better every single day,” Winston said. “That’s the makeup of who I am as a person. I can’t even think about tomorrow, because it’s not tomorrow. Today has enough worries of its own.”
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