Colin Cowherd still isn't a believer in J.J. McCarthy: 'No great trait'

Not everyone in the national media is a believer in J.J. McCarthy as he heads into his first season as the Vikings' starting quarterback. FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd, one of the most prominent voices out there, doesn't think McCarthy has a defining trait that will make him a great NFL QB.

Cowherd discussed McCarthy on his show on Wednesday, reacting to our coverage of Vikings minicamp, which included the note that McCarthy threw an interception for the third consecutive practice open to the media. (Cowherd got that note from a Vikings fan account on social media that aggregated our practice recap). What he didn't mention is what we wrote right afterwards, which was that McCarthy bounced back quite well after throwing that pick — or that interceptions in practice are completely meaningless, especially this time of year.

"There's so much mystery here," Cowherd said. "Why does Minnesota keep flirting with other quarterbacks? And there's too many conflicting reports on J.J. McCarthy. There's a lot of stuff I just don't know. I feel sometimes there's a little bit of a spin job here."

The "flirting with other quarterbacks" thing just feels like lazy analysis. Why not focus on the reality of what transpired this offseason? The Vikings let Sam Darnold leave in free agency. They pulled their offer to Daniel Jones when they realized he wasn't sure if he wanted to come back. They talked to Aaron Rodgers, sure, but they ultimately decided not to sign him. Everything they've done points to a firm belief in McCarthy.

"To be a great franchise quarterback," Cowherd said, "there has to be a 'wow' trait. Let's just go through them. Mahomes: arm talent. Allen: sheer force of size. Lamar: athletic ability. Stafford: has one of the great arms in the last 30 years in the league. Burrow: composure and accuracy. Herbert: big, strong, power arm. C.J. Stroud: accuracy. Hurts: strength, pound for pound. Kyler Murray: elusiveness. You start stacking up these quarterbacks, there's a trait.

"Go back and look at the people I trust," Cowherd continued, referring to McCarthy's pre-draft evaluations. "I never buy, when you say this about a quarterback, 'that guy is a winner.' Everybody under Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier's a winner. I don't wanna hear that. If you go back and look, his arm is modest, his escapability is modest, his release wasn't super quick.

"There is no great trait. That's why I was always a Darnold fan. Darnold is tough, with a big arm. He can be reckless, but there are times you watch Darnold, his ability to make big throws while moving is special. I don't get McCarthy's wow trait. I don't see the wow."

Co-host Jason McIntyre offered some pushback. "Can we see McCarthy play a real game? Not just preseason, not OTAs, can we see him play a real game? Maybe a trait will emerge. And he was a pretty mobile quarterback, obviously not Josh Allen or Lamar. How about this? There isn't anything he doesn't do well. He has a big arm. He's mobile. He can process. He showed everything at Michigan."

"No, go read the scout, he doesn't have a big arm," Cowherd interjected. "He does not have a big arm. His arm is considered modest. It is a middle-of-the-pack arm, middle-of-the-pack escapability. In fact, they question his release. His release, at times, can be a little plodding."

"Why does Minnesota keep flirting with other quarterbacks?”@colincowherd and @jasonrmcintyre react to reports of J.J. McCarthy struggling at Vikings OTAs. pic.twitter.com/wkpoxZv8y2
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) June 11, 2025

There's a lot to unpack there. First of all, the premise of "McCarthy struggling at OTAs" is a flawed one to begin with. In the four practices media members have been allowed to watch, he's been completely fine. He's thrown a few picks, but he's also made some great throws. Plus, practices this time of year are largely about teaching, learning, installing, and growing. It would still be a stretch if we were talking about training camp, but at least those are designed more as competition-focused practices.

As for the traits argument, why are we still sticking to (arguably flawed) pre-draft scouting reports? The entire narrative that McCarthy doesn't have a big arm doesn't feel like it's based in reality. He may not have a cannon for deep balls like Darnold, but he has plenty of zip to put the ball where it needs to be. Just take it from his teammates:

"He has one of the best zips I've seen since being in the league, and I've been around some guys who could sling it," safety Josh Metellus said on Tuesday. "He throws the ball as good as I've been around. He can put the ball where he wants to."

"He definitely has an arm, that’s for sure," Justin Jefferson said last week. "He can definitely zip it when he has to."

This simply feels like Cowherd sticking to his guns. He's been a McCarthy doubter for a while. He thinks the Vikings might regret letting Darnold leave and has picked Minnesota to finish last in the NFC North this season. That's his stance, and he's not budging.

Hear me out: What if we just have some patience and wait to see what McCarthy can do this fall?

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