In a time where nothing is certain, the Minnesota Vikings’ pursuit of a franchise quarterback is the worst-kept secret in the NFL Draft.
Kirk Cousins is gone. The Vikings signed Sam Darnold, but everyone knows he’s not the long-term answer. Caleb Williams is the first-overall pick, but whatever happens after that could determine whether the Vikings land a top-five pick and the franchise signal caller that comes with it.
However, in their mission to trade up, some unforeseen obstacles may arise, and Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers could be one of them.
The Chargers don’t appear to need a quarterback, especially after Justin Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million contract last offseason. But Harbaugh’s history with J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings could complicate Minnesota’s pursuit of a quarterback.
How could this happen? It starts with the top of the draft.
The Chicago Bears are locked into Williams with the first-overall pick, and for good reason. They traded Justin Fields for a bag of popcorn earlier this month, and the recently acquired Keenan Allen was seen at Williams’ pro day not long after.
The Bears could change their minds and pick another quarterback, but Williams has been regarded as the top pick for over a year. That’s unlikely to change in the coming weeks.
This leaves the rest of the top five as Minnesota’s potential talent pool. A roundtable article with ESPN’s Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates said the Vikings plan on being aggressive to trade into the top five. General managers have slowly admitted that they’re willing to listen to offers for their pick.
That may be head-scratching when considering that the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots probably need a long-term answer at quarterback. But look at the bigger picture. Reid speculated that the Vikings could make a “Godfather offer” that neither team can refuse, including the 11th- and 23rd-overall picks in this year’s draft and Minnesota’s 2025 first-round pick.
An offer like this would help the Commanders and Patriots build the infrastructure around their new quarterback and would still leave them in play to either trade back into the top five to get their quarterback or select a second-tier QB such as Washington’s Michael Penix or Oregon’s Bo Nix.
But there’s also the chance that both teams see the quarterback of their dreams in front of them and just take him, leaving the Vikings in the back half of the top five.
The Arizona Cardinals have been a logical trade target because they have Kyler Murray. The Cardinals could trade down because Murray’s contract is an albatross, acquire draft capital, and continue to build the infrastructure around him. However, they could also be locked in on Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and draft him as Murray’s top target.
That could leave Williams, Maye, Daniels, and Harrison as the first four picks on the board, creating a bidding war for McCarthy and the fifth-overall pick.
The Los Angeles Chargers already have their franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert, but the rest of their roster looks like a long-term rebuilding project. They could take the top player on the board, but a deal involving the 11th- and 23rd-overall picks would allow them to get two premium players to build around him.
However, the Chargers also have Harbaugh at the helm, and if anyone should believe the Chargers could go an unconventional route, it’s Vikings fans.
The Vikings got a glimpse of the Jim Harbaugh experience when they were looking for Mike Zimmer’s replacement in 2022. Minnesota conducted a thorough search weeks after firing Zimmer, and many believed that Harbaugh was going to be their next head coach.
At the time, Harbaugh was Michigan’s head coach, but he was reaching his breaking point with NCAA recruiting rules. He had previously gotten to the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers and was ready to give the NFL another try. The Vikings were willing to make it happen.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Harbaugh likely arrived in Eagan with pen in hand, expecting to sign a new contract. However, The Athletic’s Chad Graff and Jon Krawczynski reported that the Vikings never offered him a contract and made him undergo an eight-hour interview process.
At one point, it seemed like they were going to hire Harbaugh, but things took a turn midway through the interview “for reasons that are not exactly clear.” A few hours later, Harbaugh told Michigan he would be returning, and the Vikings decided to hire Kevin O’Connell.
That was a huge inflection point not just for the Vikings but also for Harbaugh. McCarthy was coming off his redshirt year and ready to take over as the Wolverines’ starting quarterback. McCarthy’s numbers were modest over two seasons, but he led Michigan to the College Football Playoff in 2022 and to the National Championship in 2023.
The national title was enough to convince Harbaugh to return to the NFL, but it didn’t stop him from gushing about McCarthy. Harbaugh told reporters before the scouting combine that he believed that McCarthy would be the top quarterback after going through the process. He doubled down on his feelings during the NFL owners’ meetings, calling his former quarterback’s pro day the best he’s ever seen.
Harbaugh’s praise makes a lot of sense. He spent three years molding McCarthy into the player that he is, and they won a national championship together. On the other hand, it could be the prelude to one of the most shocking picks in this year’s draft.
The Chargers have Herbert at quarterback but have a challenge to build around him. Trading back for capital would be the smart move, but drafting McCarthy could be a better long-term play.
Look at Harbaugh’s stint with the 49ers, when he drafted Colin Kaepernick in the second round to sit behind Alex Smith. While Smith wasn’t regarded as the elite quarterback like Herbert, he was still good enough to make quarterback a luxury pick for the 49ers – even in the second round.
Two years later, Harbaugh turned to Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl. That paved the way for San Francisco to trade Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs the following offseason.
Harbaugh arguably could use a similar blueprint to rebuild the Chargers. While some have speculated Herbert could be traded, it’s unlikely to happen with cap hits of $89.1 million and $57.8 million over the next two seasons. However, a pre-June 1 trade would leave Los Angeles with only $26.4 million in dead cap in 2026 and could fit in the timeline with selecting McCarthy.
Burning the first two years of a rookie quarterback window isn’t conventional, but Green Bay’s development of Jordan Love has changed the way some think. Over The Cap estimates the fifth-overall pick carries cap numbers of $6.8 million and $8.5 million over the first two years but would be $10.2 million and $11.9 million over the final two.
The last two years would make McCarthy a bargain if he pans out the way Harbaugh believes and would still give the Chargers a “rookie window.” Los Angeles could also cash in by putting Herbert, a 28-year-old quarterback in his prime entering 2026, on the trade market and hoping a desperate team bites.
This happened before the 2022 season when the Houston Texans shopped 27-year-old Deshaun Watson. The Cleveland Browns sent Houston six draft picks, including three first-rounders. That allowed the Texans to build their future around their eventual quarterback, C.J. Stroud.
Trading Herbert could create a dream scenario for the Chargers. They would have their quarterback in McCarthy, cap flexibility for two years, and a mountain of draft picks from dealing Herbert. All of this seems insane to Vikings fans who just want to trade up, but it could be a normal Thursday in Harbaugh’s mind.
Other reasons, such as Harbaugh’s past with Minnesota, could cause a potential trade to go south. However, when it comes to a potential trade-up, we can’t dismiss the possibility that Harbaugh could go in an unconventional direction.
