J.J. McCarthy Taking Giants' Crash Course in Offense One Day at a Time

The QB, acquired from Minnesota for a fifth-round pick, says he's learning the offense fast and taking it "day by day."

Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) practices before the game at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy is taking things the only way he can given his circumstances: one day at a time.

McCarthy, who completed his first week of the Giants' crash course in their offense, said the past week has been a whirlwind since his trade from the Minnesota Vikings. 

Still, he’s grateful for the opportunity the Giants gave him — a second chance in many ways considering the Giants had serious interest in him during the 2024 draft — and is doing his part to ensure the club doesn't develop buyer’s remorse for trading a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft to acquire him.  

“I'm really happy to be here. Walking into a new office, somebody in the league might have a preconceived notion of who you are. What, what do you go about doing to make that impression, kind of?” he said.

“Being in the league, you know, over two and a half years now, who you are is who you are. I try to be authentic because the locker room's gonna find out. So I try to be myself and do whatever I can just to be a guy that lets them know that I love this game; I'm gonna work my butt off.”  

McCarthy, the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2024 (No. 10 overall in that year’s draft), didn’t wish to spend too much time reflecting on his unsuccessful tenure in Minnesota, in which he missed his rookie campaign with a knee injury. 

Then, after some glimpses of success in 2025, when he started 10 games, winning six of those, he couldn't beat out Carson Wentz for the backup role behind Kyler Murray this past summer.

“All I care about is that next rep, that next meeting, that next game,” McCarthy said. “Just doing my best to make an impact in any way possible.”  

While McCarthy would clearly prefer to get up to speed on the offense as quickly as possible, he understands it will be a work in progress and that he needs to be patient with the process.

“Attacking it day by day,” he said when asked how long he thought it might take for him to be ready. “I feel really good. Offensive football — it's all the same concepts really for the most part. So it's about getting the verbiage down and everything like that.

“And I feel like I'm picking it up pretty quickly, but at the end of the day, it's a new game plan every single week, and just focus on the next thing, you know, and where I'll end up is where I'll end up when the time gets there.”

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