The New York Giants are turning to their third starting quarterback of the 2026 season, and 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy is getting one more chance. According to former NFL wide receiver James Jones, it’s likely McCarthy’s last chance to prove he can be a long-term NFL starter.

New York Giants’ Starting Job Is J.J. McCarthy’s Last Chance

McCarthy came over to the New York Giants in a trade for a fifth-round draft pick. With their franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart out for the rest of the regular season, veteran backup Jameis Winston has struggled, despite the Giants leading the NFC East with a 3-2-1 record.

However, after an injury-marred 2025 season and losing Minnesota’s 2026 starting job to Kyler Murray, McCarthy may be facing his last chance. In his appearance on the “Speakeasy” show, Jones elaborated:

“First-rounders get two to three opportunities…You got benched. Then you [McCarthy] lost your job to Kyler Murray. Now you’re over here. If you show the world you can play ball, then you gonna play quarterback in this league for a long time. If you go out here and lay an egg…you’re probably not going to be a starter in this league unless somebody get hurt.”

In 2025, McCarthy ranked 34th with a grade of 66.5 on PFN’s NFL QB Impact metric.

He threw for 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and ranked 35th in EPA per dropback at -0.15. However, He also played for Jim Harbaugh, John’s brother, at Michigan, giving New York additional familiarity with the former first-round pick.

Can McCarthy Sustain Success From Week 6 Breakout?

McCarthy rewarded New York’s faith in Week 6, entering in relief of Winston. The Giants trailed 34-10 upon McCarthy’s entry, and they rallied to within 34-27 and had a chance to tie in the waning moments.

The Giants QB passed for 243 yards and ran for 26, tossing a touchdown and an interception in the desperate fourth-quarter comeback.

Now the question will be whether McCarthy can sustain success. McCarthy has had spurts of excellent play; in 2025, he posted two games with an Impact Rating over 80, but also six with ratings under 70.

Many analysts aren’t optimistic. However, Winston ranks 26th in the NFL in PFN’s impact ranking, and the Giants are firmly in the postseason mix, so any potential upgrade is worth investigating.

The NFC East is wide open, as no team in the division has won over the past two weeks. The Giants (3-2-1) hold a 1.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys (2-4), and they are turning to McCarthy to salvage their quarterback play and keep their postseason hopes on track.

The former college national champion and Minnesota Vikings castoff will be under pressure to deliver right away, starting with a Week 7 clash against the ascendant Houston Texans.