How J.J. McCarthy and other Giants players are spending their bye week
Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy reacts after overtime win at Houston on Oct. 25, 2026. Credit: Getty Images/Kenneth Richmond
J.J. McCarthy’s world has been a blur since the Giants traded for him in late September. It’s been a crash course in learning the offense and being thrust into starting quarterback duties.
So with the Giants on their bye week, McCarthy finally can breathe a bit. There are other things to look forward to besides preparing for the Eagles the following week.
“My wife and son are coming up and it’s going to be great. Haven’t seen my son in a month,” McCarthy said. “My brother-in-law’s girlfriend is running the [New York City] marathon, so [I’ll] be able to see her go do her thing and enjoy the city a little bit.”
Being a face in the crowd for Sunday’s race is a lot more anonymous than being the face of the Giants’ offense. Even beyond that, McCarthy and his teammates can enjoy the bye more in than recent years, thanks to a winning record.
Left guard Jon Runyan Jr. plans to have some family time in Philadelphia. He also planned to watch his alma mater, Michigan, face Rutgers in New Jersey on Saturday.
It’s a reward for the Giants being in first place in the NFC East.
“It’s nice going into the bye week sitting at the top of the division,” Runyan told Newsday. “I think last year, we were 2-5 at this point. 4-2-1 [is] kind of the complete opposite. It’ll be nice to sit around and get the body feeling a bit better and watch some of these games.”
For most of the Giants, time off means more time with loved ones. Running back Devin Singletary said he’ll be spending time with his kids. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is taking his daughters to East Hampton to relax.
Eluemunor labored through a calf injury in Sunday’s win over the Texans. The time off for him and others means recovery and rest for the body.
It’s easier to do that when there’s something to play for at the bye week.
The previous three seasons, the Giants entered the bye with losing records, and more of the outside focus was on potential draft order.
Now it’s more of a reset to get ready for a push to maintain their division lead in the weeks to come.
“We’ll take advantage of that as much as we can,” John Harbaugh said. “We have five full days plus a little bit for them to rest, recover all three phases. Mind, spirit and body. And then we’ll be back Monday afternoon to start on the Eagles.”
For McCarthy, that means unwinding and getting his family settled. His wife, Katya, and 1-year-old son, Rome, lived in Chicago while he got acclimated to the Giants. He said it’s been “go, go, go” the last month, and with them moving in with him permanently, things will feel a bit more normal.
“This league, it doesn’t wait for anyone,” McCarthy said. “Just being able to stay ready at all times and get up to speed as possible. I give so much thanks to everyone around me getting [me] up to speed to this point. And I got to do my part and make sure I do the extra work this week.”
He said the last time he and his wife were in New York was around February, when she had alterations done to her wedding dress. They got married in April.
McCarthy has explored the city with friends and gone to a Yankees game. He’s glad to taste another slice of New York by watching the marathon, even if he’s still keeping some focus on his day job.
“Definitely resting and recovering, but kind of do whatever I can to get to a point where I know this offense in and out and know the guys in and out,” he said. “Just being able to understand how they run certain routes, what they see on the field and being able to anticipate more in the future of just what they’re doing.’’
For other Giants, just leaving the city and facility means setting football aside a bit more. As he recuperates from his calf injury, Eluemunor plans to make sure his daughters enjoy themselves.
He also was around the previous two seasons when the bye week came after lengthy losing streaks. To get away after a win makes the family time even sweeter, knowing the team has something to play for afterward.
“It’s nice going into the bye week with a win, first place in the NFC East and being able to watch all the other teams in the division beat up on each other,” Eluemunor said. “So I’ll take that.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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