Published October 25, 2026 12:18 PM
The 3-2-1 Giants have made a quarterback change in advance of the city known for countdowns. And the count of starting quarterbacks who were first-round draft picks is up to one, two, and now three.
J.J. McCarthy, who arrived via trade with the Vikings less than a month ago, becomes the third former first-round pick to start a game for the Giants. They’re the third team since the AFL-NFL merger to do that, matching the 2011 Raiders (Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell, Kyle Boller) and the 1984 Bears (Jim McMahon, Steve Fuller, Greg Landry).
McCarthy carries a four-game winning streak into the former Michigan quarterback’s reunion with former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. And Stroud has won two games in a row for the Texans, who hope to avoid starting 0-4 at home for the first time in franchise history.
McCarthy gave the Giants a massive spark in the fourth quarter of the Week 6 loss to the Saints, throwing for 243 yards — and doing enough to earn the spot over Jameis Winston. If McCarthy can pull off the victory over the Texans, he’ll become the new toast of the town. And he’ll start the process of flipping the narrative of New York first-round quarterbacks who struggle there before finding success elsewhere.
Even if that’s a decidedly Jets dynamic.