John Harbaugh confirmed he spoke with his Giants head coaching brother before Big Blue made a swing for quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
And the Chargers bench boss believes the new pair could be a perfect match.
Jim Harbaugh spoke with reporters in Los Angeles on Wednesday and said he chatted with John Harbaugh before the Giants traded a fifth-round pick to the Vikings for McCarthy on Monday.
“I mean, John called me and asked me,” Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday. “I said, ‘You know, John, I love you. I love J.J. I think you guys would be — ’ so, really, I’m telling you the same thing that I told my brother.”
It’s no surprise the Jim Harbaugh would have positive feelings about the third-year quarterback.
McCarthy was under center for Michigan when the program won the College Football Playoff national championship during the 2023-24 season. McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards with 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading the Big Ten in completion percentage (72.3 percent).
But things in the NFL haven’t gone as smoothly for McCarthy after he was selected 10th overall by the Vikings in 2024. He missed his entire rookie season after needing knee surgery for a torn meniscus. In games he started in 2025, the Vikings had a winning record of 6-4, but he threw 12 interceptions with 11 touchdowns and completed 57.6 percent of his pass attempts. His 72.6 passer rating was the worst among 33 qualified QBs in the NFL.
He hasn’t has taken a snap this season after being named the third quarterback in Minnesota behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz.
McCarthy, in his first practice with the Giants on Wednesday, was third in reps behind starter Jameis Winston and practice-squad quarterback Jake Haener.
John Harbaugh said earlier in the week that he was happy with the infusion of McCarthy, who received a seal of approval from general manager Joe Schoen and “high-level scouts.”
“They felt very strongly he was going to be a good option,” Harbaugh said. “That was interesting to me.
“He can throw it, he can run it, he makes plays. There’s a lot of things he can do better from what he did, obviously and we’re going to see where it goes from here.”
