NFL Insider Drops Major Update on Giants’ Plan for QB JJ McCarthy

After the performance he put on in relief of Jameis Winston in Sunday's 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants fans are champing at the bit to see what quarterback J.J. McCarthy can go over a full four quarters.

McCarthy came on with the Giants trailing by 24 points in the fourth quarter and led New York on three scoring drives in four series.

His 243 passing yards was the most of any QB in NFL history over an 11-minute span, and McCarthy got the Giants offense moving the chains and scoring points – both things they’ve struggled to do under Winston.

Head coach John Harbaugh declined to name his Week 7 starter immediately after Sunday’s loss, though many believe it’s just a matter of time before McCarthy is handed the keys to the offense.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided some further clarity on New York’s plan for McCarthy heading into its Week 7 matchup with the Houston Texans.

“There’s a lot that goes into these seismic decisions of whether or not J.J. McCarthy is ready to take over the Giants’ [starting job] because it’s not just for this Sunday, if McCarthy is going to go in, he’s going to go in and he’s now the starter [for the rest of the season],” Rapoport said.

“I should also mention coming up next is the Houston Texans, whose defenses has been up-and-down but whose pass-rush has just been up. Will Anderson is playing like one of the best players in football, Danielle Hunter is awesome — it is a lot for someone who just came in here basically last week, doesn’t know all the plays and still was able to somehow go in there and be productive.

“We will see what the Giants end up deciding, if Jameis Winston maybe gets one more week on a short leash, or whether it’s J.J. McCarthy just handed the keys. One thing we know for sure: McCarthy’s time is coming whether it’s this week, whether it’s next week — he is going to play, and the early returns from what the Giants saw are very, very promising.”

The 23-year-old McCarthy went 6-4 as the Minnesota Vikings starter last season. However, after the team signed two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray this offseason, McCarthy became expendable.

With 2025 first-round pick Jaxson Dart out for the rest of the season, the Giants reportedly want to see what they have in McCarthy over the final 11 games so they know how to approach next offseason.

Many analysts believe the plan is to keep Dart as the QB of the future and flip McCarthy to another QB-needy team for draft capital.