2026 Week 4 Fantasy Football Breaking News: J.J. McCarthy Traded to the Giants With a Harbaugh Endorsement

According to ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports), Jim Harbaugh personally endorsed J.J. McCarthy to his brother John — now head coach of the New York Giants — before the Giants completed a trade for the quarterback. Jim told reporters Wednesday: "John called me and asked me. I said, you know, John, I love you. I love J.J. I think you guys would be . . ." The piece notes that things "didn't work for McCarthy in Minnesota" but that McCarthy thrived under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.

J.J. McCarthy

A fresh start under a coach whose brother personally recruited him into the building is about as warm a landing spot as McCarthy could have hoped for. The Harbaugh connection is real — Jim coached McCarthy at Michigan — and John clearly did his homework before pulling the trigger. That familiarity matters for dynasty managers especially: McCarthy now has a head coach predisposed to believe in him, which is the first thing a rebuilding QB needs.

What we don't know yet: where McCarthy sits on the Giants' depth chart, whether he starts immediately, or what the surrounding offense looks like — ProFootballTalk doesn't specify those details, and the recent news also notes the Giants released Odell Beckham Jr. this week, so the receiving corps picture is still shifting. Redraft managers should wait for clarity on his role before rostering him. Dynasty managers with a longer timeline can treat this as a legitimate reason for cautious optimism — not a buy-high moment, but a hold-and-watch.