Former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy may have an opportunity to be a starter again

When J.J. McCarthy was drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings after leading Michigan to a National Championship in January, it seemed like he would have a bright future in the pros. Now three years later, McCarthy has a 6-4 record, a career marred by injuries, and is the third-string QB with the Vikings.

McCarthy lost the starting job to new QB Kyler Murray, who came to Minnesota in the offseason on a one-year deal. The battle was over almost as soon as it started, with the Vikings naming Murray the starter at the beginning of preseason. McCarthy was set to be QB2 until he was demoted to QB3 before the season began, behind even Carson Wentz, who started in Week 2 for the injured Murray.

Now McCarthy may want to consider some other options because, in the first two weeks, there have been quarterback injuries, and for some teams, they won't get their starters back for a while. In the case of the New York Giants, they just lost starter Jaxson Dart to season-ending knee surgery and may not want to use Jameis Winston for the rest of the year.

With a lack of experienced quarterbacks available on some rosters, McCarthy could be a solid choice for teams like the Giants, Bears, and Commanders, who could have injury problems throughout the season at the position.

This could be J.J. McCarthy's opportunity to resurrect his NFL career

It is not like McCarthy's career is completely dead, but being demoted to QB3 behind even Carson Wentz is not a great place to be. When it comes to a team like the Giants, it looks like Jameis Winston is set to take over, but they have no other active QB on their roster.

The Bears got lucky with Caleb Williams' injury, but he is week-to-week, and backup Tyler Bagent just went into concussion protocol. That leaves Case Keenum as the only active QB on the roster, and the Bears may want more depth.

The Giants almost seem like McCarthy's best option with the Harbaugh connection. While John Harbaugh wasn't the brother who coached McCarthy at Michigan, Jim did laud McCarthy's performance with the Wolverines, and the connection could be deeper than some think.

Either way, if McCarthy does get traded, it is an opportunity for him to make the statement that he can be a starting quarterback in the league. McCarthy's career to this point has been a rocky one, but he hasn't been completely horrible, and with the talent the Giants have at wide receiver with Malik Nabers and at running back with Cam Skattebo, McCarthy's job becomes a little lighter.

In his 10 career starts, McCarthy has more interceptions than touchdowns, with a 12:11 ratio, but the Vikings didn't give him the best chance, other than having Justin Jefferson. We have seen quarterbacks go elsewhere and have success, just look at former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, who McCarthy was drafted to replace.

Darnold went to Seattle and found great success, even winning a Super Bowl, so maybe Minnesota just isn't the place for McCarthy to succeed, and this could be his opportunity to get out.

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