J.J. McCarthy’s maturity was questioned in Minnesota. Giants coaches are raving about it

Just a couple days shy of the one-month anniversary of his trade to New York, former Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy celebrated his first win as the starting quarterback of the Giants. He completed 20 of 28 passes for a career-high 252 yards, helping the Giants to a 27-21 overtime win in Houston.

His first start built off an impressive relief performance the week prior, in which he nearly rallied the Giants from a 24-point deficit. With five strong quarters in the book, it’s understandable that the vibes are high in New York about their new quarterback.

McCarthy has continued to check the boxes for the Giants coaching staff over the past month, who have previously given him “A-plus” grades for how he’s handled the transition. In a recent episode of the NYG411 podcast, SNY’s Giants insider Connor Hughes noted that multiple coaches have praised McCarthy’s maturity and calm 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,'” said Hughes. “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 number two, he was so calm throughout the game,” continued Hughes. “So, during this 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 (shows 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.”

After McCarthy largely struggled with a Vikings team that aimed to compete for a Super Bowl last year, Minnesota’s front office brought in veteran Kyler Murray as competition in the QB room. Murray eventually won the QB battle in training camp, with McCarthy relegated to the Vikings’ third-string option behind backup Carson Wentz.

Once Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending injury, speculation mounted that McCarthy could be a potential target for the Giants. Following a narrow 12-7 win in Week 3 over the Titans, in which the Giants tallied just 238 total yards of offense, New York sent a fifth-round pick to Minnesota for McCarthy.

After the game on Sunday, Giants head coach John Harbaugh spoke about McCarthy’s resilience and his ability to pick himself up after the trade in September.

“Guys have scars,” Harbaugh said. “He has scars. He’s been wounded. He’s been broken. He’s been battered. But you heal stronger, and you become better because of it.”

McCarthy is, quite literally, doing for the Giants what he didn’t in Minnesota. This one might sting for a very, very long time if he keeps progressing in the right direction.

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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Vikings section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.