Is it Time for Marvin Harrison Jr and JJ McCarthy to Find New Teams?

There have been some rumors about two former top 10 picks in recent NFL drafts that they're both on the trade block. I want to talk just a little bit about this today. I'll give each a few paragraphs and where I think they may end up.

The first player is Marvin Harrison Jr. I was as high on him as I have ever been about any prospect in his draft class. He looked like he had everything a team could ever want in a number 1 wideout. He dominated in college. He is big, fast and strong. He ran great routes and has excellent hands. He was my top overall prospect in his class and I just assumed he would be a top 15 wide receiver in only his second season. That has not happened to this point. Harrison Jr has struggled with drops and getting open. Lately people have been calling him out on a supposed lack of effort. He got hurt here and there as a rookie and all the success he had in college has simply not translated to the pros just yet. Now, I think it is way too early to give up on him. Again, he has loads and loads of talent and potential. I do think he has had the unfortunate job of being on the Arizona Cardinals. No disrespect to the Cardinals. I have always been a slight fan of this team. I like the uniforms, I used to adore Larry Centers and I think they're just a fun team to root for. But they have not had the best of luck at the quarterback position. During Harrison's rookie year he seemed set with Kyler Murray. Murray then, almost immediately, got hurt and missed most of the season. Harrison and Murray simply didn't get the time to mesh and develop a comfort with one another. Jacoby Brissett came in to play QB, and while I like his vibe and how he carries himself, he just isn't the best QB in the world. He can do some things that will make you wonder if he has it all figured out, and then he will do some things that will frustrate the hell out of you. Brissett, for all of his foibles and good things he does, he has been a career backup, for the most part, and it seems like a fitting spot for him. He is a decent gunslinger when he needs to be, but he is not a Super Bowl winning QB. I hope he proves me wrong in the long run, but that is how I see it now. And Harrison has zero comfortability with Brissett. Those two cannot get it right at all. Harrison is either dropping passes or the ball is sailing over his head. His effort does look to be waning. He seems to be all out on the Cardinals. He looks like he wants to be anywhere else but in Arizona.

The other player on this list is JJ McCarthy. You all know that McCarthy has a special place for me. He was the QB of the last Michigan team to win the title. He is an important Wolverine to me, That being said, he was not the main reason that team won the title in 2023. That Michigan team was built on running the ball and defense. Jim Harbaugh never asked, nor needed McCarthy to win games for him. McCarthy would make plays occasionally when called upon, but it was never that often that he was needed to do such things. So, when the Vikings took him ninth overall two seasons ago, I was kind of stunned. But I thought that maybe Kevin O'Connell would work his magic and make him a NFL caliber QB. That has not happened, and it seems like it may never happen. McCarthy just doesn't seem to have it. I could kind of tell from his first game he started last year. He looked timid and not confident. He needed to have a miracle second half, mostly running the ball, just to win that game. And then he just kind of came and went. He would make a few plays here and there, but it seemed like his confidence and his ability seemed to turn off. He would get hurt during last season, and then the Vikings brought in Kyler Murray. Murray would eventually win the starting job during the offseason, and things looked like they may be coming to a close for McCarthy with the Vikings. This was made even more clear to me when the Vikings put him third on the depth chart to start the season. McCarthy was not only passed by Murray, but the Vikings seemed to feel that Carson Wentz was a better backup. JJ McCarthy will always have a place for me as a Wolverine, but the Vikings have clearly moved on.

So, where does this leave Marvin Harrison Jr and JJ McCarthy now? NFL trades don't happen all the time, and in season trades feel more rare than ever nowadays. But these two dudes seem on their way to new teams sooner rather than later. For me it is easier to see where McCarthy will end up. With Jaxson Dart going down with a season ending injury, and Jameis Winston needing a new backup QB, I think the Giants could get McCarthy and get him for cheap. He may only cost them a late round draft pick. They won't need to give up players or picks any higher than the fifth round. I think the Giants would fit him well too. They don't seem to be going anywhere this year, he can play under a great coach in John Harbaugh and he can let it sling if Winston gets hurt. Maybe a change of scenery to New York city would do McCarthy some good.

As for Harrison Jr, this one is a little tougher for me. He is too good a player to languish on a bad team in Arizona. But, maybe this is the best he is ever going to be in the NFL. Maybe he is not a number one wideout. Maybe he can become more of a gadget receiver or a second or third wideout on a contender. Maybe he needs to take a step down to get himself back to the dominant force he was in college. So maybe he could end up with a team that has a solid number 1, but they need another threat. I would love to see him in Green Bay with Christian Watson. Watson has made it clear he is ready to be the Packers top wideout. So, if they were able to bring in Harrison Jr, that could loosen things up for Watson on the other side of the field and Harrison Jr would get more open looks and have a better QB throwing him the ball in Jordan Love. I'm sure the Bears would take a look. If they could find a way to land Harrison Jr, and keep Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, the Bears could have one of the best, and youngest, wide receiver corps in the NFL. I wonder if the Broncos would try and snatch him up. Jaylen Waddle is proven. He is also shifty and fast. Harrison Jr would be a nice compliment next to Waddle. I would also like to see the Ravens go after him. If they could get him he would instantly love having Lamar Jackson throw him the ball, he could play next to Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers and the Ravens would have a legit wide receiver room for, quite possibly, the first time in Jackson's career. I feel like the options for Harrison Jr are more abundant than McCarthy, but I'd love to see him end up on the Ravens.

Time will tell of either of them gets traded, but if they do, these are the places I'd like to see them end up. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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