JJ McCarthy Looks Like 'Freaking Brett Favre,' Ex-Giant Carr Says

13 hours ago

3 min read

Published Oct 30, 2026, 10:14 PM ET | By Vincent Rapisardi

Key points

Former Giants quarterback David Carr said JJ McCarthy looks like "freaking Brett Favre" minus the mistakes.
McCarthy is averaging 10.1 yards per attempt with one interception on 49 throws in 2026, per ESPN.
Favre averaged 7.1 yards per attempt for his career and retired with an NFL-record 336 interceptions.

JJ McCarthy has drawn plenty of comparisons since his first Giants start. David Carr went straight to a Hall of Famer, and the numbers explain why the vertical part of that comparison fits.

"Right now, we're looking at freaking Brett Favre out there. Minus the mistakes," Carr said on Home Grown, the podcast he hosts with his brother Derek, as we shared on X Friday. "He's pushing it vertical, bro. He's not scared."

Carr knows the building. The 2002 No. 1 overall pick spent four seasons as a Giants backup. He won Super Bowl XLVI with the team, according to his career record).

What David Carr Saw From JJ McCarthy

The comparison came with a condition. On the episode, the brothers called McCarthy aggressive and pointed to his big plays down the field. Then they asked whether he can keep that up while avoiding mistakes.

They also brought up quarterback rooms that flipped once a backup got hot. Their examples included Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger, plus Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco.

Derek Carr took it a step further. If McCarthy keeps this level of play up, he said, the Giants could hold an open quarterback competition in camp, Pro Football Network reported.

JJ McCarthy vs. Brett Favre by the Numbers

Favre is a fair benchmark for aggression. He won three straight MVP awards from 1995 to 1997 and retired as the NFL's all-time leading passer, per the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Stat	McCarthy (2026)	Favre (career)
Pass attempts	49	10,169
Yards per attempt	10.1	7.1
Interceptions	1	336
Interception rate	2.0%	3.3%

Source: ESPN and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as of Oct. 30, 2026. Favre's yards per attempt and interception rate are calculated from his career totals.

That is the "minus the mistakes" part. McCarthy's lone interception came in Week 6 relief against the Saints, when he went 11 of 21 for 243 yards, per ESPN's game log. That afternoon, he led NFL quarterbacks in yards per attempt.

He followed it by going 20 of 28 for 252 yards and no interceptions in the 27-21 overtime win at Houston. PFF gave him the second-best big-time throw rate of Week 7.

The caveat is obvious. Favre's line covers 20 seasons and 302 games. McCarthy's covers 49 attempts, and his 2025 season in Minnesota looked nothing like this, as we laid out with his numbers from last year.

What's Next for McCarthy

The Giants are on their bye. McCarthy's next chance to add to that sample comes Nov. 8 at Philadelphia, per Pro Football Network.

Our Take: The Arm Is Real, and So Is the Sample Size

Carr's line about pushing it vertical is the part I agree with most. After Houston, I pointed out that McCarthy averaged 9 yards per attempt and was throwing absolute laser missiles. The box score backs that up: 252 yards on 28 throws.

I'll admit I did not realize how good his arm was until this month. He throws laser missiles, and he isn't afraid to let it go downfield.

The Favre comparison is a lot to put on 49 passes, though. Favre kept that aggressive style going for 20 years, through good seasons and bad ones.

As for the competition talk, I still think Jaxson Dart is the long-term guy. For right now, the Giants have themselves a quarterback, and that gives them a good problem.

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