Giants backup Colt McCoy is confident in his future after getting shot this season
Colt McCoy of the Giants celebrates after defeating the Seahawks at Lumen Field on Dec. 6 in Seattle. Credit: Getty Images/Abbie Parr
If things go according to plan for the Giants, Colt McCoy won’t play another snap this season.
If things go according to plan for Colt McCoy, he’ll get another chance to play next season.
The backup quarterback said on Thursday that his experience this season has "rejuvenated" him and despite contemplating retirement last offseason before the Giants came calling, that ending won’t be on his mind this coming offseason.
"I feel very confident that I’ll keep going," he said on Thursday.
Last year that was not the case. Even though he came back to play, McCoy was still limited from the fractured leg he suffered in 2018 and he has said in previous interviews that he would not have played in 2020 if he did not think he could improve on his condition. Retirement was a very real option at that point.
"I think a lot of where I was at last offseason had to do with my health and whether I could recover from that injury and play the way I wanted to play," he said on Thursday.
This season and the experience he’s had with the Giants have put those concerns to rest. McCoy has played in four games for the Giants, starting two of them. Twice he played a significant portion of a game and walked off the field with a win, victories over the Bengals and Seattle. Last week he started against the Browns, a game the Giants lost 20-6.
In his four games he has completed 40 of 66 passes for 375 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
"I feel pretty confident in the way I’ve played this year," he said. "First time being out there in a while, I’ve kind of rejuvenated myself. I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve had fun. I’ve really enjoyed being part of this team and this group of guys and these coaches."
The Giants seen to like having him, too.
"The biggest thing he’s very good at is Colt’s a very positive guy," Joe Judge said last week. "He’s a competitor and he’s a very positive guy. He understands the flow of we’re always getting ready for a 60-minute game. If things aren’t going well initially, you’re never going to hear him complain or tap out. He’s very committed to the process. Any adjustments you have to make, Colt’s a smart dude. He’s always in tune to talking on the sideline. ‘Hey, what do you guys think about maybe changing this up?’ or ‘Do you want to stick with this?’ He may come back and say, ‘Hey, I like this play, call it again.’ Colt’s very, very mentally into the game. That carries over and really gets the rest of the guys involved as well."
With all signs pointing to starting quarterback Daniel Jones returning to the lineup on Sunday against the Ravens, McCoy will likely be back in his station on the sideline. He’ll remain vigilant and at the ready, just as he was in the loss to the Cardinals when Jones was unable to finish the game. But he also knows that if Jones is healthy enough to play – and it seems he is – that the second-year quarterback will take as many of the remaining snaps on the season as possible.
It means that McCoy may have run his last play of the season. And since he is here on a one-year deal, maybe his last one as a Giant.
But for the first time in a few years, he won’t go into an offseason wondering whether it was his last ever. At least not if he has any say in the matter.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
