Giants Mailbag: Your Questions on McCarthy, Winston, Harbaugh and More

Welcome to the weekly New York Giants On SI mailbag! From offseason moves to game-day strategies, we'll do our best to answer your questions. (Some questions have been edited for brevity and clarity.)

Quarterback Chatter

From Bill Frenz: Do you agree that the move to address QB was a smart move? Is having a 1A and 1B QB smart in today’s NFL?

Bill, two things. First, who said McCarthy is QB-1B? He’s a backup right now until he’s not. Second, since when is it not smart to have multiple fully capable quarterbacks on your roster?

Look at what happened to Washington last week. Daniels didn’t play, and Marcus Mariota got hurt. Don’t you think they would have liked to have had a QB-1B on the roster?

Oct 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy (18) warms up before a game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

From Pat L. (via e-mail): The JJ McCarthy trade is interesting; the Giants passed on him in the 2024 draft when they had the sixth overall pick, and the Vikings selected him with the 10th overall pick. Why did the Giants pass in 2024 (different coach/scheme), and was a fifth-round pick in 2027 good value in the trade?

Pat, the story I got was that there was some concern about whether McCarthy could handle the New York market. Now, if you're wondering what changed, he’s since had to overcome a lot of adversity and has matured.

Plus, as of right now, there is zero pressure for him to step into a starting role, which means this staff can bring him along at a measured pace.

Regarding your second question, the answer is two-part. First, the Giants are projected to get a fifth-round comp pick next year.

Second, if the Giants end up drafting in the bottom of the draft order, it won’t matter as much. So yes, I think they got good value on the deal.

And who knows? Maybe if McCarthy develops and shows he’s back on track, the Giants will look to move him to a QB-needy team for another draft pick.

From Kyle K. (via email): Pat, do you think it’s a good idea if the Giants decide to pull Jameis Winston for J.J. McCarthy in certain situations? Could that split the locker room because the media will run with it?

Kyle, I don’t think it's necessarily a bad thing if the Giants decide to put McCarthy in the game in certain situations, and I don't think it will split the locker room. If it keeps them winning, who would have a problem with it? Jameis Wisnton, you say? I don’t think he would.

Winston wants to win and will do whatever it takes to do it. If he kicked up a fuss, wouldn’t he come across as selfish? That’s not the type of person Winston strikes me as being. So no, I don’t think it would be a problem at all.

And I think you’re giving a little too much credit to the media for influencing the locker room that doesn’t really exist. Also, remember John Harbaugh has been doing this a long time, so I am sure he would retain control of the narrative.

The Running Game

From Kris Kauffeld: I love Skattebo’s physical style. But I think he is leaving yards on the field by constantly running into contact instead of trying to be a little more shifty. Does he have that ability, and if so, do you think we will see more of it?

Kris, I don’t think Skattebo is a “shifty” type of runner. He’s a downhill type, kind of like Brandon Jacobs. Maybe you could argue that Skattebo should stop seeking contact like a heat-seeking missile to pick up more yards, but shiftiness is not part of his game, at least based on what he’s shown so far.

O-line Questions

From Bob G. (via email): Do you think we’ve seen the last of John Michael Schmitz as a starter for this team?

What’s good, Bob? Never say never. What happens if Bryan Hudson gets hurt or has a bad game? So no, I don’t think you can say that.

I suspect what the Giants are doing here, in addition to infusing a different set of skills at center, is trying to determine whether they can get by next year with Hudson as their center, which of course would mean Schmitz won’t be retained in free agency. It’s not a bad strategy, if you think about it.

From Mike K. (via email): Am I alone in my concern about Andrew Thomas’s future?

Mike, no, you are not. I have that same concern. Thomas, when healthy, is as good as they come, but of late, he has struggled to stay healthy. Next year he has a $29.952 million cap hit and no guaranteed money. That includes a $15.4 million base salary and a $1 million roster bonus. If I’m the Giants, I do NOT touch his contract next year for any extension.

The priority, in my opinion, should be doing something with Brian Burns’s contract, as he has a $44 million cap hit next year, which is a projected 13.5% of the cap. That is WAY too much to tie up in one guy.

That said, I wouldn’t be upset if the Giants gave him an extension given how productive he’s been in his career, this year notwithstanding.

Harbaugh’s Media Handling

Oct 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh reacts during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

From Greg J. (via e-mail): I don’t know if you’ll answer this, so here goes. What’s your take on how John Harbaugh handles the media? Personally, I love his approach, but I’d be curious what someone who's experienced it firsthand thinks.

Greg, speaking for myself, I don’t have a problem with how Harbaugh has dealt with the media so far. I thought other head coaches of this team played games that were unnecessary. Harbaugh is a straight shooter, and I personally appreciate it.

At the same time, I understand his desire to maintain as much of a competitive advantage as possible, and while I would love more information at times, I understand where he’s coming from.

Buyers or Sellers?

From Bill W. (via email): Two questions. Are the Giants going to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? And who is someone you think they could trade that no one is talking about?

Bill, I think it depends. I suspect if the Giants win at least two of their next three games, which is very doable, there will be way less pressure to do anything unless there is a glaring hole that Harbaugh doesn’t see an answer for on the current roster or if there is another injury that threatens their chances of reaching their goal.

For what it’s worth, John Harbaugh, asked on Friday about the running backs and having more power backs, said, “We've got all the players we need to win all the games, to win every single game. All the players we need to win every single game. But we're always looking to get better.”

As for someone they could look to trade, what about Najee Harris? Unless they plan to split the reps more evenly with Cam Skattebo, Harris is kind of the same type of runner. If they can get a Day 3 pick from, say, Green Bay or Denver—two teams that need help in their respective running games—why not make that trade?

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