Will Chargers trade Justin Herbert? 3 reasons why Jim Harbaugh could get clean slate in LA to draft J.J. McCarthy

Winds of change are here in Los Angeles as new Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh looks to win with Justin Herbert just as he did in Michigan with J.J. McCarthy. Now that the former San Francisco 49ers coach is back in the NFL, he will set his sights on the Super Bowl.

It will be his next big challenge as he has already proved what is there to prove in college football, having ended his career with a National Championship. Now, he wants to make his mark on professional football. He is joining a team that has a talented quarterback in Justin Herbert and is capable of making big-time throws. Brandon Staley was fired for not getting the best out of the quarterback.

But it is also possible that Jim Harbaugh might want his own man instead at that crucial position. There will be a lot of interest if the Chargers decide to trade their current franchise leader. And the coach might decide to reunite with the same quarterback who helped lead his team to a championship at a college level. J.J. McCarthy has already declared for this year's draft.

#3 - Ex-Michigan coach has called J.J. McCarthy a generational quarterback like Andrew Luck

Jim Harbaugh has bestowed exceptional praise on J.J. McCarthy when both of them were in Michigan. Now, a college football coach praising his player is not too difficult to understand.

However, it is not just that he called him good, it is that he compared the quarterback to Andrew Luck. The former Indianapolis Colts quarterback was considered an NFL-ready player and became the starter in his first season in professional football.

In fact, he was so highly rated that the franchise chose to move on from Peyton Manning, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Compared to the Hall-of-Famer, Justin Herbert is a much smaller fish and the new Chargers coach might not have much consternation moving on from him.

#2 - To follow Jimmy Johnson, Jim Harbaugh might need need his own Herschel Walker trade

Jim Harbaugh has his sights set on winning the Super Bowl and in the process join the likes of Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer and Pete Caroll as coaches who have won both the College National Championship and its professional football equivalent.

The former Cowboys head coach, who was inducted into the Ring of Honor this year, famously traded Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a haul of draft picks. At the time, it was seen as a loss for Dallas.

But Jimmy Johnson used his knowledge of college football to draft the likes of Emmitt Smith and create the team that would win three Super Bowls in the 1990s. The new Los Angeles head coach could plan something similar.

He knows that there are doubts about the Chicago Bears' commitment to Justin Fields. He could offer Justin Herbert to them in exchange for the first pick overall. With that, he could get J.J. McCarthy first off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft. Just as the Cowboys found a willing partner with a current NFC North team in the Vikings, the Chargers might find an interested party with the Bears.

#1 - Previous NFL experience with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick might give him confidence to ditch Justin Herbert

When Urban Meyer came to the NFL, it was an unmitigated disaster. Nick Saban, a legend in college football, did not do too well in the NFL. However, the reason Jim Harbaugh is being spoken of as a potential champion is because he has reached the Super Bowl before with the San Francisco 49ers. He has the experience and know-how to succeed in professional football.

If he chooses to lean into his previous experience, he will remember that he moved on from 2005 NFL Draft first overall pick Alex Smith and elevated Colin Kaepernick to the starting position with great results. That change was instrumental in their Super Bowl run. He knows that moving on from the supposed franchise quarterback might not be a bad idea if the alternative is better.

In trying to mould a group of players in his own image, the Chargers head coach could choose to repeat the trick again by replacing Justin Herbert with J.J. McCarthy.

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