With fault to be had on both sides, the relationship between J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings had no future once he was officially not named the starting quarterback. Once he was demoted to No. 3 on the depth chart, it was over.
A trade to the New York Giants gave McCarthy the change of scenery he needed if his career had any chance of lasting.
As expected, with Jaxson Dart out for the season, signs quickly suggested McCarthy's first start wouldn't be delayed much. After a strong fourth-quarter showing against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, he got that first start in Week 7 against the Houston Texans.
McCarthy had a solid performance in the Giants' overtime win over Houston, completing 20 of 28 passes for a career-high 252 yards. He has now played five quarters of pretty good football for his new team, building on the early positive vibes from his teammates and coaches.
Barring injury, which, of course, was a prominent factor in shortening his tenure with the Vikings, McCarthy should be the Giants' starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
New York Giants coaches laud J.J. McCarthy for things he failed to show often enough with the Minnesota Vikings
On Monday's episode of the "NYG411 " podcast, Connor Hughes of SNY noted how Giants' coaches have praised McCarthy's maturity and demeanor.
"The two things that came about multiple times, which stood out like they were buzzwords immediately when they were said to me, was one, ‘He was so mature,'” Hughes said. “Remember in Minnesota, that was a problem. Like, that was an issue in Minnesota that there was some mentals there and there was some maturity concerns.”
"And then two, he was so calm throughout the game,” Hughes continued. “So, during this game (the Texans' game) that was back and forth, up and down, super highs during the game for him personally, then some lows where the offense got cold, then scoring late. He was this (a steady hand) the entire time. There was no jitters. There was no bumps. He was calm, cool, and collected throughout this game. Mature and cool.”
McCarthy is certainly capable of strong performances, as he has shown early in his time with the Giants, and of staying calm through a game's ups and downs. Last season with the Vikings, amongst the durability issues and occasional maturity concerns, was the consistency of his play.
Time will tell whether McCarthy can string together multiple games like the ones he's had the last couple of weeks, as the Giants sit atop the NFC East at their bye week, or if the current novelty wears off.
It's also safe to say the Vikings were no longer willing to wait for McCarthy to find his way in every facet of being an NFL starting quarterback, tangible and intangible, while the Giants can do that right now.
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