In less than three full years, J.J. McCarthy went from National Champion who was somehow in the same conversations as Justin Herbert to Kyler Murray's backup. The Minnesota Vikings announced Murray as the starting quarterback in 2026, officially putting an end to the Nine persona.
Even though the Chargers were set at the quarterback position, McCarthy was inexplicitly tied to Los Angeles after the team hired Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh had a great relationship with McCarthy at the University of Michigan and won a championship, which was enough for many to call for the Bolts to make a drastic move.
It was a legitimate talking point for desperate pundits looking for engagement that the Chargers should trade Herbert for draft capital to turn the car keys over to McCarthy. And no, this isn't a case of us highlighting a random social media post from user JoeSchmo90210.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that both the Vikings and New England Patriots called to inquire about Herbert's trade availability ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft. This report was enough to spawn some of the worst football takes you can imagine.
Absurd J.J. McCarthy takes are a time capsule for Chargers fans
Funny enough, the McCarthy-Herbert takes didn't stop after the 2024 NFL Draft concluded. Heck, they didn't stop when Jim Harbaugh emphatically put an end to any notion that the Chargers would ever consider trading Herbert months later.
Legitimate journalists were going on television peddling the idea of trading Herbert for McCarthy as recently as last spring. With Minnesota in the market for Aaron Rodgers at the time, FOX Sports' Nick Wright once again brought up the idea of the Vikings trading McCarthy to his former college coach.
This idea is going in @getnickwright’s super interesting and fun bucket, even though it’s not realistic:
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) March 17, 2025
“If the Vikings are this squeamish about J.J. McCarthy… call the Chargers and see if J.J. + a first-round pick could get you Justin Herbert.” 👀 pic.twitter.com/gwaJCm3o4R
Wright clearly tried to hedge his take by ending his monologue by saying he "wasn't sure if the Chargers would do it," which might just be the most correct thing ever said on a sports talk show. Obviously the Chargers were never going to do it, and the idea is so absurd that just speaking about it on TV should warrant criticism.
It's not just that pundits were in a rush to mock a Herbert trade even though he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. It was the idea that somehow McCarthy had no value in Minnesota yet could yield a return as valuable as Herbert in return. You can call a penny a Benjamin but it doesn't make it worth $100.
Ironically enough, the Chargers might be able to trade for J.J. McCarthy now
The NFL really can be serendipitous at times, and despite all of this terrible conjecture, there is now a world in which the Chargers can trade for McCarthy. Whether or not it is smart is up for debate, but it certainly is in the realm of possibility.
It wouldn't be surprising if there is some locker room friction after McCarthy lost the starting job. Wanting to get out of that, Minnesota could trade McCarthy to an interested team for late-round draft capital.
General manager Joe Hortiz probably isn't rushing to the phone to trade a draft pick for a backup quarterback who hasn't proven anything in the NFL. But if Harbaugh makes a strong enough case, and the price is only a future seventh-round pick, then perhaps the Chargers would swap Trey Lance out for McCarthy. Harbaugh is notoriously over-loyal (look at Greg Roman), so it can't be ruled out.
But instead of coming to Los Angeles to be the new starter as the terrible Herbert trades theorized, McCarthy would come to LA to hold the Microsoft Surface Pro while Herbert is actually on the field. Life really does come at you fast.
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