5 teams in the market for J.J. McCarthy after NFL free agency

Nobody has benefited more throughout the draft process more at the quarterback position this spring than J.J. McCarthy. While the former starting quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines was a five-star coming out of high school, he was not asked to throw a ton playing for Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor. Together, they stayed and were champions. Now ... they have some NFL things to worry about.

All the while, McCarthy has become the belle of the ball, one that includes two Heisman Trophy winners in USC's Caleb Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels, both of whom are surely going ahead of him in the 2024 NFL Draft. There is also former North Carolina star Drake Maye. Between Maye and McCarthy, you have to go with the player with the higher upside, which would undoubtedly be Maye.

However, McCarthy is really on a draft heater of a lifetime. Way cooler than Paul Finch ever was, let's hope it works out for him ahead of his big day. Like Finch did win in the end, expect for McCarthy to have a great NFL career, based on his demeanor, zen and being a leader of men. It is why so many NFL front offices are infatuated with the guy. I expect that he will be a top-eight pick as 2024's QB4.

Here are five teams who are in the market to draft McCarthy after NFL free agency has slowed down.

5. Washington Commanders must trade back from No. 2 to land J.J. McCarthy

Right now, I would say the Washington Commanders are only a dark horse to land McCarthy in the draft, strictly based on where they are picking. Although you and I and everyone else knows that Washington will be drafting a quarterback this spring, they have the No. 2 pick, and we have no idea who that player will be. The smart money would be on either Daniels or Maye, and so not McCarthy...

However, there have been some rumblings about Washington being a potential trade back partner for a team like the Minnesota Vikings picking at No. 11. They could conceivably move back, pick up more capital, and then move back up to somewhere like No. 7 in a deal with the Tennessee Titans. To me, there are too many moving pieces to get McCarthy on the Commanders easily. It could happen...

Because they are indeed looking at him, the Commanders are probably just gathering intel on a guy who may be competing with them in-division, as the New York Giants are also very high on McCarthy. In no universe can McCarthy go second to the Commanders. While there is a way he could go to the Commanders, Washington will have to trade back from the second pick in order to make that happen.

If there is a major re-shuffling of the NFL Draft board, yes, I could see a pathway for McCarthy to D.C.

4. New England Patriots can reach on J.J. McCarthy at No. 3, but please move back

While I would say that the Washington Commanders have shown more interest in J.J. McCarthy than them, the New England Patriots still have to be in play for him for one of two reasons. One, where they are picking at No. 3 is about as high as he could realistically go. This would have everything to do with McCarthy's demand, as well as other franchises not being as high on Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye.

As with Washington, the Patriots are potential trade back candidates inside the top three of the NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears are staying at No. 1 and will take Caleb Williams out of USC. However, there is a chance New England may like McCarthy more than either Daniels or Maye, possibly both. If that were the case, they could conceivably reach on him at No. 3. It makes more sense to trade back then.

Again, of the five teams I have listed for McCarthy, the Patriots seem to be the least interested. But as it is with anything, a lot can change between now and the final minutes before the first round of the NFL Draft starts. McCarthy's ethos does fit the old Patriot Way, but maybe New England wishes to deviate from sage Bill Belichick principles in the early part of the Jerod Mayo era over in Foxborough?

If given a Godfather offer for No. 3, I can see a world where the Patriots move back and get McCarthy.

3. Denver Broncos will need to trade up from No. 12 to take J.J. McCarthy

At the start of the draft process, the Denver Broncos were my best bet to end up taking J.J. McCarthy. I have been higher on him as a prospect than most other pundits, but No. 12 was about as early as I thought he could be coming off the board, maybe even to my Atlanta Falcons picking at No. 8. Well, Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins and McCarthy's stock has been soaring higher than even Nvidia's.

Now the hapless Broncos find themselves between a rock and a hard place. If they were to stay put at No. 12, they could end up slightly reaching on Bo Nix out of Oregon, but that is not a way to get Broncos Country fired up. In truth, Nix and McCarthy could have similar careers coming out of major college football powers. However, there is a chance that Sean Payton may be all about J.J. McCarthy.

While I have no reason whatsoever to think Broncos general manager George Paton will do anything other than completely thumbscrew the operation, I could see an avenue in which the Broncos could trade up. It would have to be in the top five, and it would probably have to be in a deal with the Arizona Cardinals picking at No. 4. This is because the division rival Los Angeles Chargers are picking at No. 5.

Denver needs to get ahead of the New York Giants picking at No. 6, but do they have the draft capital?

2. New York Giants could get leap frogged for J.J. McCarthy at No. 6

All things equal, the New York Giants should be in a position to reach on J.J. McCarthy at No. 6, just like they did five years ago on Daniel Jones out of Duke in 2019. Well, you know how the old adage goes. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. As it turns out, the IBM of the NFL is forever stuck in Office Space time, trying to figure out those blasted TPS reports before Y2K, baby!

Because the Giants seem to value McCarthy so much, they have driven up his price range considerably. We are talking about QB4 going from the top-half of the first round to firmly inside the top eight. Since the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Chargers don't need a quarterback with their picks at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively, one would think that McCarthy would fall to the Giants at No. 6.

Well, think again. New York is poised to get leapfrogged for McCarthy, unless they are able to make a trade with the New England Patriots to get up to No. 3. Teams like the Cardinals and Chargers picking ahead of them could screw them. It would be so hilarious if the Giants took the bait and gave up the farm to move up two spots for McCarthy in a deal with Arizona in a deal they never even had to make.

For so many reasons, I think the Giants should go in any other direction besides quarterback at No. 6.

1. Minnesota Vikings have the ammunition to trade up from No. 11 for J.J. McCarthy

Right this instant, I like the Minnesota Vikings' chances of getting J.J. McCarthy the most. While I don't trust their general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at all, I understand why he decided to acquire the No. 23 overall pick from the Houston Texans. They could either use that pick to take Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington in the back-half of the first round, or use it as capital to move up from No. 11.

While there may not be as many trade partners to be had for the Vikings, there are more than meet the eye. Even if the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots are all dead-set on taking a rookie quarterback top three, Minnesota now has the ammunition to trade up from No. 11 to either the Arizona Cardinals or the Los Angeles Chargers picking at No. 4 or No. 5, respectively.

Again, this is all about getting past the New York Giants sitting at No. 6. If the G-Men were to stand pat, there is virtually no way McCarthy makes it past New York. Unless they are blowing smoke up our butts, this is the pick they are going to make. For Minnesota, I think moving up from No. 11 to No. 4 or No. 5 in a deal with the Cardinals or Chargers is justified, as they would be selecting QB4 in this draft.

Minnesota is already within striking distance of getting McCarthy, so why not make another big move?