It's going to be an uphill battle for J.J. McCarthy to take the New York Giants' starting quarterback job.
The New York Giants acquired J.J. McCarthy in a surprising trade with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week, and everyone is waiting on the moment McCarthy supplants Jameis Winston as the starting quarterback.
Except that won't be as easy as some are making it seem.
Winston is the starter heading into Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals. John Harbaugh has made that clear, and unless Winston completely flops this Sunday, he will likely keep the job for the following week, as well.
As for McCarthy? The Giants thought enough of him to surrender a fifth-round pick to the Vikings, further diminishing their 2027 draft pool.
But a new quarterback coming in and stealing a starting job midway through the season is incredibly complicated.
This isn't like a new running back or a new linebacker; this is a quarterback, meaning he has to learn an entirely new playbook, learn his offensive line, learn his receivers and learn the new coaching staff.
It's why you almost never see quarterback trades happen in the middle of a season. Not significant ones, anyway.
McCarthy was the third-string signal-caller in Minnesota. Kevin O'Connell — who drafted him 10th overall in 2024 — did not even view him good enough to be ahead of Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz on the depth chart.
Perhaps New York can utilize him in a way the Vikings didn't, but Minnesota's urgency to dump the University of Michigan product less than three years after drafting him is telling.
So what should make anyone think McCarthy will instantly learn a brand new system and be installed under center?
Winston did not play well in relief of Jaxson Dart in Week 2. He also didn't look good against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, although weather certainly played a factor.
Regardless, all Winston needs to do is have a decent game this weekend and lead the Giants to a win over the Cardinals, and he'll keep his job.
New York signed Winston to an extension for moments like this. Yes, his locker-room presence was also a big reason why the Giants decided to sign him for two more years, but he's also a fine backup quarterback.
And with Arizona having one of the worst defenses in all of football, there is a good chance that Winston has a strong performance here in Week 4.
In the meantime, McCarthy will keep waiting for an opportunity that might never come.
