When Monday's game was over, Colt McCoy took his battered body, got into his car, and drove over to Kyler Murray's house.
Murray had torn his ACL on the third play of the game, and the Cardinals' veteran backup QB – now the starter, with Murray down – wanted to check on the teammate "I spend more time with than I do with my kids."
"His spirits were fine," McCoy said of a visit that totaled a couple of hours. "He was smiling. But it's an injury. We're all upset. He's upset. He's frustrated. But his spirits were in a good place, and he'll attack the rehab. Lots of guys have come back from ACLs just fine."
In the meantime, it's McCoy's show now. The 36-year-old came close to retiring following his injury-plagued stint in Washington back in 2019. But he later changed his mind and will start the final four games for the Cardinals – and six total this season – for the most starts he's had since doing it 13 times for the 2011 Cleveland Browns more than a decade ago.
McCoy is under contract through 2023. With Murray's status heading into next season now fuzzy, McCoy will be in the conversation about potentially being the Cardinals' opening-day starter next year as well.
Not that McCoy wants to delve that far into the future.
"I love to play football," McCoy said. "If I didn't think I could still play, I wouldn't be here. I'm going to go out there, put a smile on my face, have some fun, lead these men and try and win these last four games."
To think McCoy nearly retired back after the 2019 season, after multiple surgeries to fix a fractured fibular submarined a pair of seasons. He felt his body had failed him, and he went as far as telling his family and his agent he was retiring.
The rehab he did was just so he could play with his children without being hampered. But he came out the other side realizing he still wanted to play.
It was the Covid offseason of 2020, and "I kind of missed out on some opportunities" because of his retirement thoughts. But the Giants called him, and he was back in the game. He signed with the Cardinals last season as a free agent.
He has served as the perfect backup and mentor to Murray, his age and experience invaluable.
"I think the rapport with teammates is as good as I've ever seen," coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "The respect level they have for him is through the roof and he puts in the work. He's a brilliant football mind, and then he is really good when he gets a chance to play. The ball goes to the right spot (and) it goes out on time. He's earned that right to play in this league as long as he can really operate and stay healthy.
"He could be a coach if he wanted to right now. He'd probably take my job easily. He has that type of knowledge and that type of command in the locker room."
McCoy has considering coaching when he is done playing. But he isn't done yet. He bluntly noted after Monday's game "I don't think I have anything to prove" and, a decade after he was last a regular starter, McCoy again gets that chance.
"I want to be a great teammate," McCoy said. "I want to be consistent. I want the guys to know what they are going to get every day when I walk through the door. That's not something that happens overnight. That's established over time.
"I've been through seasons like this before. I think it's really important to carry your head high, work hard, set an example and be a leader."
