Chargers Floated in Another J.J. McCarthy Idea After Vikings Sign Kyler Murray

One of the weird summer narratives that popped up around the time Jim Harbaugh touched down with the Los Angeles Chargers was whether Jim Harbaugh might seek out a reunion with J.J. McCarthy for the obvious reasons.

That was just silly summer talk, of course, used to fill some of the quiet parts of the NFL calendar and nothing more.

And yet, here comes a mention of it again, jokingly, and in the busy part of the NFL offseason, roughly one week into NFL free agency.

As Chargers fans can probably guess, it’s a talking head joking about the idea in response to some recent Minnesota Vikings news and a guy by the name of Kyler Murray.

J.J. McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh on the Chargers?

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh — Jim Harbaugh | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

During the NFL free agency chaos, the Vikings linked up with former Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray, which had some obvious implications for the future of one J.J. McCarthy.

Over at ESPN, Mike Tannenbaum jokingly drummed up the Harbaugh-McCarthy Michigan connection for fun during a recent segment:

"So, you know, if I'm Minnesota, I wouldn't give up on him because he's only started 10 games. He's 23. But if they're like looking for a clean break here, the Chargers need a backup quarterback. And if you're J.J. McCarthy, why not go with the guy that you want to title with."

Look, the Chargers somehow landing McCarthy as a backup behind Justin Herbert, developing him, and eventually trading for a high return in a quarterback-starved NFL isn’t the most horrendous what-if? theory around.

McCarthy is still on a rookie deal, too. He has a cap hit that maxes out in the $7 million range each year through 2027. The Chargers just re-signed Trey Lance on a contract worth up to $6.5 million, so it’s not exactly out of their price range.

Still, the Chargers have Lance. McCarthy wasn’t very good last year, either, completing less than 60 percent of his passes on the season and prompting the Vikings to go get another insurance policy at the position in the first place.

Never mind, too, the silly narratives that would never stop if the Chargers made it happen. Clearly, can’t forget that.

Quietly, the Chargers have one of the better backup situations in the NFL right now with Lance and zero desire to change that. But expect this sort of stuff all summer, regardless, now that McCarthy appears to be on the hot seat.

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