McCarthy earned the promotion after a fourth-quarter comeback bid against the Saints and will start Sunday against the Texans.
The Giants are moving on from Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback, turning instead to J.J. McCarthy ahead of Sunday's game against the Texans. The switch comes after New York's loss to the Saints, when McCarthy entered in the fourth quarter with the team trailing 34-10 and helped engineer a comeback attempt, completing 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed the change on Wednesday, making McCarthy the Giants' starter for their October 25 road matchup against Houston. McCarthy, acquired from the Vikings last month for a 2027 fifth-round pick, had been inactive before the quarterback change thrust him back into a lead role.
McCarthy said he feels more prepared for the job now than when he first took over as the Vikings' starter last season, crediting the experience of 10 starts in Minnesota despite injuries along the way. He described the opportunity with the Giants as a chance to prove himself, noting he has gained a better feel for the nature of NFL football since his rookie season.
Winston moves to the backup role as the Giants prepare to open this new chapter at quarterback.