An NFL Reunion for Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy?
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback J.J. McCarthy just helped lead the Wolverines to a national title, finishing off an undefeated season with a dominant win over Washington in the national title game.
Even though McCarthy has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, that championship win in Houston might not be the last time we see these two teaming up on the gridiron.
Harbaugh is drawing interest from multiple NFL teams that currently have head coach openings, and it's widely expected that he'll move on from Ann Arbor and return to the pros this offseason.
McCarthy is among the top quarterback prospects in this year's draft class, and with a strong performance in pre-draft workouts, could end up putting himself in the first-round conversation.
Two of the teams showing strong interest in Harbaugh as their potential head coach are the Atlanta Falcons and the Las Vegas Raiders, both of which need a new franchise quarterback. While the Falcons are Raiders aren't likely to have a shot at the elite signal-callers in this year's draft (USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels), McCarthy could be a solid consolation prize.
Current projections on McCarthy's draft slot are all over the place. It's possible the Falcons (currently picking 8th) and the Raiders (11th) could choose McCarthy in the first round, or wait to see how far he falls down the board before possibly moving up from their second-round picks to target him.
If Harbaugh ends up as the head coach for either team, that scenario becomes even more likely, considering all the praise he's heaped upon McCarthy during their time together at Michigan.