John Harbaugh keeps the J.J. McCarthy package for Giants

McCarthy got 5 snaps in his Giants debut. Harbaugh's message this week: get used to it, and expect more.

ProFootballTalk

@ProFootballTalk

John Harbaugh: We'd be negligent if we didn't see if J.J. McCarthy can help us. t.co/ZZCjn8dI25

Here's how a former top-10 pick ended up as a change-of-pace weapon in New York. Jaxson Dart went down with a season-ending injury, and on September 28 the Giants sent a 2027 fifth-round pick to Minnesota for McCarthy. Harbaugh was clear from day 1 that Jameis Winston stays the starter. McCarthy wasn't brought in to take the job. He was brought in to be another tool.

The debut wasn't much to look at. In the tie with Washington, McCarthy played 5 snaps and ran 2 times for 2 yards, and 2 more of his plays got wiped out by penalties. He'd been in the building only a couple of weeks. The point was the look: a quarterback who can actually run, which is a different problem for a defense than Winston is. Harbaugh called it 'a change of pace' and said what we've seen so far is probably not everything they have for him.

Giants beat reporter Jordan Raanan backed that up the next morning, putting it bluntly.

So this is a real role, not a gimmick they tried once and threw away. The question is how big it gets. McCarthy went 10th overall in 2024, and injuries limited him to 10 games over 2 seasons in Minnesota, including a torn meniscus, a concussion and a wrist fracture. A trade price of a fifth-round pick tells you how far his value had fallen. A package of designed runs is a low-risk way to get a talented guy back on the field without throwing him to the wolves.

Next up is a good spot to try it. The Giants are 3-1-1 and host the 1-4 Saints at MetLife in Week 6. Harbaugh's whole pitch is that it would be malpractice to leave a first-round arm and real running ability on the bench. If the package grows past 5 snaps against a bad team, we'll find out whether it's a wrinkle or the start of something. Either way, Winston should probably get used to coming off the field a few times a game.