One former Michigan football star is getting a second chance as an NFL starter.
Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been named the starter for New York's Week 7 game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Oct. 25, over Jameis Winston.
This will be McCarthy's first start since Jan. 4, when he helped the Minnesota Vikings to a 16-3 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 18.
This news comes after McCarthy's breakout performance off the bench in the Giants' 34-27 loss over the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 18, where McCarthy went 11-for-21 for 243 yards and a touchdown, all of his passing attempts coming in the fourth quarter.
Winston started the previous four games for the NFC East-leading Giants (3-2-1), after Jaxson Dart injured his left knee in the season's second game and was ruled out for the season.
The Vikings drafted McCarthy No. 10 overall in the 2024 draft after he led Michigan to a national title in the 2023 season. But after sitting out the entire 2024 season due to injury, McCarthy had a rocky start in 2025. The Vikings went 6-4 with him under center, but he threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11), as the Vikings missed the playoffs one year after finishing 14-3 after seeing Sam Darnold leave in free agency.
McCarthy entered the 2026 season healthy but lost his starting quarterback spot to free-agent signing Kyler Murray, and then was dropped to third-string on the roster behind backup Carson Wentz. The Vikings then traded McCarthy to the Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick on Sept. 28, parting just 10 starts into his NFL career.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy named Giants Week 7 starter vs Texans