He may not have played for or even against the Fighting Irish during his time in the NCAA, but J.J. McCarthy is still proving to be just that. The 10th overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft hasn’t had the healthiest of starts in his professional career. But his Week 1 win against the Chicago Bears showed that he is capable of winning at the next level whenever he is fully healthy and available.
Advertisement
Given his Irish heritage, as well as the fact that he would go on to become a national champion, it certainly seems as if Notre Dame messed up in its recruiting of McCarthy. He visited their campus several times throughout his high school days, but never received an offer.
Nevertheless, McCarthy still finds himself in some rather elite company, as both Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady also share similar roots. The grandfather of the Michigan product migrated to the United States at a young age, which ultimately helped to create yet another Irish signal caller.
TRENDING: #Vikings standout quarterback JJ McCarthy has IRISH HERITAGE alongside other European roots.
His paternal grandfather moved from Ireland to the US at a young age, and he also has some heritage on his Mother’s side.
🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
JJ MCCARTHY. THE IRISH MAN. pic.twitter.com/EB7xmgYIiA
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 5, 2025
The seven-time Super Bowl winner and former face of the New England Patriots famously noted that he was “an Irish boy at heart” during one of his most recent trips to Ireland, where it was also noted that his family is originally from Cavan, which resides in the northern region of Ireland.
As far as Rodgers is concerned, not only are there some similar ancestral roots, but the former Green Bay Packer also managed to create a bit of Irish history by headlining the first ever NFL game that was played in the nation. Suffice to say, that was enough for him to be okay with the extra hassles that come with playing international games.
“Being a part of the first game in Ireland is pretty cool. I have Irish heritage, so I’m very excited to get out there. And as far as the travel goes, it is what it is.“
Coincidentally enough, Rodgers was able to find yet another victory in Dublin this year. Thanks to the services of D.K. Metcalf, the 21-year veteran was able to come away with a 24-21 victory against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4.
He’s officially 2-0 in Dublin. Whether or not that’s a result of Rodgers’ skill, or simply the luck of the Irish, is a bit unclear, but in the end, it’s enough to give the Steelers yet another 3-1 start to the regular season. Of course, they’ll need as much of that Irish luck as possible in order to end their nearly decade long playoff drought.
Thankfully, everyone else in the AFC North appears to be faltering. So unless something catastrophic happens, perhaps Pittsburgh will finally be able to make their way towards that pot of gold at the end of the regular season rainbow.
