2024 NFL Draft Rumors: Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh in Talks with the Vikings to Trade #5 Pick for JJ McCarthy

The prodigal son of Michigan is coming home, or at least that’s what Harbaugh wants. The relationship of a father-son was the epitome of what transpired between Harbaugh and J.J. McCarthy during their time in Ann Arbour and now they will be looking to recreate their magic at the NFL in the hopes of winning a Super Bowl.

Jim Harbaugh, the head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers, is on a mission to build a strong squad for the upcoming season. With Justin Herbert at its forefront and new transfers joining the team, the Chargers are going into the 2024 season with a fresh pair of legs and a different leadership under Harbaugh. Now that the scene is set for a path to victory, there’s one missing piece of the puzzle and the former Michigan coach hopes to locate it by bringing in McCarthy, his prized player.

Harbaugh may trade No. 5 pick to the Vikings for McCarthy

As per recent rumors, it is being suggested that Jim Harbaugh will want to bring in McCarthy to the Chargers, the same quarterback who the coach once termed as the “better quarterback than Brady at the college level.” These rumors are to be believed now more than ever since McCarthy’s phenomenal Combine performance saw a massive surge in his Draft stock, landing him among the top 6 quarterback list right beside the likes of Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye.

According to a recent tweet by ‘Purple FTW’ podcast, “LA is about to trade the #5 overall pick to the Vikings (the team that teased Harbaugh) to Draft JJ McCarthy (Harbaugh’s de facto son) ” The dynamic duo of Harbaugh and McCarthy was the primary reason of Michigan’s unbeatable 15-0 winning streak last season, which eventually won them their national championship as well. If the Vikings supposedly do agree to the trade, the fans could very well see a reunion between the pair again and could strengthen their beliefs about a Chargers’ victory at the Super Bowl 24.

With that being said, here’s a look at the strong words that Harbaugh had to say about McCarthy being the projected number 1 draft pick, higher than even Caleb Williams.

“Don’t be surprised”– Jim Harbaugh on whether J.J. McCarthy could be the number 1 overall QB pick

It’s always been apparent that McCarthy is the one QB that Harbaugh puts before anyone else. Though he’s spoken highly of the Chargers’ current QB Justin Herbert, his appreciation for McCarthy outweighs them all. Even though Harbaugh drew in a lot of flak for comparing McCarthy to Brady, he stuck by the youngster and continues to vouch for him to this day. Here are Harbaugh’s words from a month ago when he talked about McCarthy being the supposed number 1 QB at the Draft.

The Chargers HC said, “Don’t be surprised if and when he’s the number one quarterback off the board,” adding, “That’s my prediction right now. When people get a load of J.J., and how he can throw the ball, how he spins it, his athleticism, his intelligence. Talk about the ‘it’ factor. He’s got it. The competitiveness that he has. And they get around him, and they really start digging in, and they start talking to him. That’s an early prediction for the 2024 NFL Draft.”

Thus, even though there’s a high possibility that Harbaugh will be proven wrong since Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels are already projected to be the top 3 respectively, his enthusiasm for McCarthy just goes on to show that he’ll want to bring the QB to the Chargers by all means necessary.

Read more: NFL Hall of Famer Believes Justin Herbert to Benefit from Jim Harbaugh’s Culture of Physicality in Chargers’ Offense

Will J.J. McCarthy be reunited with Harbaugh once again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.