When the Minnesota Vikings traded J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants in late September, it seemed only a matter of time before he got a chance to play, or possibly start, for his new team.
After nearly leading a fourth-quarter comeback in Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints, speculation that McCarthy would replace Jameis Winston as the Giants' starting quarterback was easy. On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the plan is to start McCarthy against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
McCarthy's performance in his first real opportunity to play for the Giants, after a handful of snaps in Week 5, has reignited the idea that the Vikings gave up on him too soon. But that overlooks how the Saints pulled starters from an already-bad defense for a time and ignores some issues McCarthy still had despite throwing for 243 yards in less than a quarter. Seven of his 11 completions gaining at least 17 yards also feels unsustainable.
29 QBs threw a pass in Week 6.
— John Daigle (@notJDaigle) October 21, 2026
JJ McCarthy finished 29th in catchable pass rate. https://t.co/2MO6ufNPun
It's also safe to say the Vikings' coaching staff, let alone a roster otherwise built to win, were no longer willing to wait for McCarthy to figure it out. If he is going to figure it out and become a capable NFL quarterback, it will be elsewhere. And with Jaxson Dart, the Giants' quarterback of the future until shown otherwise, that future probably won't materialize in New York.
J.J. McCarthy now has a clear opportunity to start proving Minnesota Vikings wrong
The Texans enter Week 7 with the league's 27th-ranked pass defense and rank in the bottom half in several other pass defense metrics (yards per completion, adjusted yards per attempt, yards per attempt, completion percentage).
Despite it being a road game against a good team that has started to reassert itself with a two-game winning streak, McCarthy could face far worse circumstances for his first start as a Giant. If he can withstand one of the league's best edge-rusher duos, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, success through the air can be had.
Since Dart went down with a significant knee injury in Week 2, the Giants have obviously seen enough of Winston and want to try something else. Barring injury, which is a layer of why things went awry with the Vikings and can't be ignored, McCarthy could get 11 starts as an audition for a shot at a starting job somewhere in 2027.
Time will tell if the Vikings look bad for trading McCarthy after just 10 starts, but the opportunity to do that starts now.
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