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The NFL draft is nearly upon us, and rumors are swirling about which player teams will take. In that vein, Michigan's J.J. McCarthy has been linked to the Los Angeles Chargers. Why? Because his former coach for the Wolverines, Jim Harbaugh is now the coach of the Chargers.
With the Chargers holding the No. 5 overall pick, if the franchise or Harbaugh wants to select McCarthy, they easily could. However, there's one problem: Justin Herbert.
The young star quarterback signed a five-year, $262.5 million contract on July 25. ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed the latest in the potential of McCarthy finding his way to the Chargers.
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For the Chargers to move off Herbert would be something. As Schefter alludes to, the cap implications would be astronomical.
According to spotrac.com, Herbert has a dead cap value of a staggering $129.5 million, which makes moving off Herbert for J.J. McCarthy nearly impossible. Unless, of course, L.A. wants to get stuck with that financial burden.
However, that seems unlikely. Additionally, the Chargers would have to be sure that McCarthy would be a better prospect than Herbert, which, as of now, no one can say would be true.
Having Harbaugh and his national championship-winning quarterback reunite in the NFL is a feel-good story, but given the cap implications, it is just about impossible to do.
Where could J.J. McCarthy get drafted?
With the Chargers, who pick at No. 5 out of the equation, McCarthy could find himself on a host of teams.
While the Chicago Bears are locked in on Caleb Williams at No. 1. It's anyone's guess after that. The Washington Commanders (No. 2), New England Patriots (No. 3) and New York Giants (No. 6) are the teams that spring to mind early in the first round that could take McCarthy.
Others who pick later in the draft like the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13), Minnesota (Nos. 11 and 23) and Denver (No. 12) are also options for J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy could realistically see himself drafted anywhere between second and 13th. Also, given the abundance of offensive linemen, he could see himself slip further down the pecking order.
It will be a fascinating watch to see where McCarthy gets drafted, but one team that won't be in the sweepstakes is the Chargers.
