EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Quarterback J.J. McCarthy said that it was a "shock" to be traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the New York Giants earlier this week but that he's looking at it as an opportunity to show what he can do in the NFL.McCarthy was traded to the Giants for a fifth-round pick after two-plus years in Minnesota. The Vikings drafted him in the top 10 of the 2024 NFL draft."When I got the call here, it was a shock. I didn't anticipate it, but at the end of the day, it's an opportunity," McCarthy said in his first comments since the trade. "It's an opportunity to take advantage of. And I love these guys already and I can't wait to do it for them."McCarthy spent this week working with the scout team for the Giants. Jameis Winston remains the team's starting quarterback after Jaxson Dart was recently lost for the rest of the season.At the moment, McCarthy isn't thinking about becoming the starter or even about this being a fresh start. He said he's focused on this week's game plan and being as prepared as possible.New coach John Harbaugh wouldn't say whether McCarthy would be the second- or third-string quarterback this week when the Giants face the Arizona Cardinals. They also have quarterback Jake Haener on the practice squad. Haener served as the backup to Winston last week."[McCarthy] practiced the things we asked him to do," Harbaugh said. "We had the different things for him here and there. A lot of it is just learning the offense. Thought he did a good job with that, 24/7 almost. Really trying to be immersed in the offense. He wants to learn. He wants to know it all. And that's what we've been working on. So it's just kind of what you'd expect."McCarthy acknowledged that he was quite familiar with Harbaugh. He played for John's brother, Jim, at the University of Michigan, where they won the national championship.John Harbaugh acknowledged watching McCarthy closely during that time and noted that his brother always had good things to say about him as a quarterback and as a person.McCarthy was appreciative."Absolutely love the Harbaugh family," he said. "They're made of the right stuff. Faith, family, football. Just everything [John Harbaugh] did in Baltimore, it was super inspiring just to see him take a team and have that success for such a long period of time. And being in this building, you feel it. You feel it. He's made of the right stuff. He says the right things. He guides his players in the right direction. And yeah, I'm really excited to play for him."McCarthy said he hasn't heard from Jim Harbaugh since the trade. He also didn't want to get into what went wrong in Minnesota.He has turned the page on that chapter of his playing career."There's a multitude of things you could think of [why it didn't work out], but at the end of the day, it's all in the past," he said. "And all I care about is what's important now -- that next rep, that next meeting, that next game. And that's really all I'm focused on."What makes him optimistic it will work out in New York?"At the end of the day, nobody knows," McCarthy said. "I'm really just focused on right now. I'm focused on doing whatever I can to help this team win, do whatever I can to help Jameis, help Jaxson through this injury. I had it my rookie year, and it absolutely sucks. And I feel for [Brian Burns, who went on IR this week] like crazy. I feel for him. You never want to see a season-ending injury regardless of what team you're on, and I'm just doing my best to make an impact on this team in any way possible."
