The last time JJ McCarthy was a starting quarterback inside Houston’s Reliant Stadium was on Jan. 8, 2024, when he led the Michigan Wolverines to a comprehensive victory over Washington in the National Championship Game.
Thirty-three months later, he’ll take on the Houston Texans in their stadium as the main man under center for the New York Giants.
“It is really special, it’s awesome,” McCarthy said. “But each game, each rep is an independent event. And going in there and just focusing on that first play and executing those six seconds within that play, that’s really the main focus. But it’s going to be really cool to be in Houston, and I think we’re staying in the same hotel that we stayed in when we were there in 2024. Just really excited to go play with these boys this weekend.”
McCarthy was officially named the Giants’ starting quarterback on Wednesday for Sunday’s Week 7 matchup, usurping Jameis Winston for the job after a brilliant fourth-quarter showing in their loss against the New Orleans Saints.
Down by 24 in the final stanza, McCarthy came in for Winston and threw for 243 yards with a touchdown. He directed three scoring drives in total, and had the Giants in the red zone in the final minutes with a chance to tie the game.
The 23-year-old appears to be a much better fit for Big Blue’s offense than Winston. He is mobile, can make throws on the run, and keep it himself for positive yardage, much like Jaxson Dart, who was lost for the season back in Week 2.
“It definitely felt good to be in a competitive game towards the end,” McCarthy said. “Just being out there in an NFL football game, that was really the most gratifying feeling, you put in so much work in the offseason and continue to put in so much work throughout the season. Just to get an opportunity to go out there and execute some football plays when it really matters, it meant the absolute world.”
McCarthy was drafted 10th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, but his rookie season was lost due to injury. He underperformed in 10 games last season, then lost the starting job to Kyler Murray entering the 2026 slate.
By late September, he was shipped to the Giants for a fifth-round pick. In just three weeks, he’s taken a crash course to learn the offense and is now starting.
“It has been a whirlwind. A lot of change of scenery, a lot of change of language, and meeting so many great, new people,” McCarthy said. “Just a lot of things you have to forget and move on… Just being here and getting this opportunity, I am just so blessed.”
Zoom out just a bit, and the blunt truth is that McCarthy is just a placeholder for Dart. But this is a golden opportunity for the Michigan product to prove that he can lead an NFL team and, in a way, resuscitate his still very young career.
“Every time you step on the field, it’s an opportunity,” he said. “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: How can I attack that next rep? How can I win this day? And go from there.”
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