Another high-profile quarterback prospect is entering the 2024 NFL Draft with Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy throwing his hat in the ring.
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I can’t see this news of J.J. McCarthy declaring for the NFL Draft without immediately thinking about what it could mean for Jim Harbaugh. The Michigan coach has been flirting with the NFL and this could be the offseason he makes the leap back into the pros. My read on McCarthy’s announcement is that this could signify that Harbaugh is on his way out into the NFL. Had McCarthy returned, it might’ve signaled Harbaugh giving it another go to defend the title. That could still be possible. But reading the tea leaves has me thinking that Harbaugh’s return to the NFL is on the horizon.
As for McCarthy, he had a heckuva ride this past season. Not only is he coming off a season in which he led the Michigan Wolverines football team to its first undisputed national championship since the Harry Truman administration (the 1997 title was split with Nebraska back when you could do such a thing), but he also did so after being by coach Jim Harbaugh. And since that history includes Harbaugh and some fella named Tom Brady, I’d consider that high praise.
Is there a J.J. McCarthy Bears fit?
McCarthy is a LaGrange Park native and Big Ten football standout at an iconic Midwest university. With that being said, there figures to be a local push for the Bears to bring McCarthy “home” and build around him as the franchise’s QB1 moving forward. And after this front office brought in locals like Robert Tonyan and T.J. Edwards last offseason, there might be some temptation to strike while the iron’s hot. Plus, Bears General Manager Ryan Poles said he is “open to anything” this offseason hints that we (as writers, fans, readers, ඣetc.) should also be open to anything. And J.J. McCarthy as a future Bears quarterback target falls under that umbrella.
If the Bears plan on being as thorough in the quarterback evaluation process this summer as Poles’ words suggest, then McCarthy will be on the team’s radar at some point this offseason. Leave no stone left unturned, right? McCarthy might land a first-round grade or could possibly be an early Day 2 pick. And if he tests well and has a good interview experience at the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, I think his stock will grow. At a minimum, the Bears should kick the tires here — if only to do their due diligence.
