Colin Cowherd Has a Brutal Verdict on J.J. McCarthy

J.J. McCarthy may turn into something memorable in quarterback-speak down the line, but his time with the Minnesota Vikings is over, according to Fox Sports‘ Colin Cowherd. The vociferously opinionated analyst has been low on McCarthy since the 2024 NFL Draft, and his comments last week were merely a continuation of that trend.

McCarthy will face Kyler Murray in a quarterback competition at the end of the month, with Cowherd claiming that duel is basically already over.

Vikings Still Control McCarthy’s Longer Timeline

Cowherd on McCarthy

Cowherd said on his show Friday, “They don’t want J.J. McCarthy to be a bust, but he’s a miss. That doesn’t mean he can’t go somewhere else and succeed. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold went elsewhere and found success, but the difference is the Vikings are a well-run organization with a great coach and a great defensive coordinator, and it’s not working.”

“Kyler Murray is going to work here. He’s not going to work as well as Sam Darnold because he’s not as good as Sam Darnold, but Kyler Murray is going to win the job because he’s going to own the locker room. The players think he’s more talented. J.J. McCarthy may flourish elsewhere, but when you go to a solid organization, and it doesn’t work after two or three years, it’s not going to work.”

At least Cowherd is high on Murray; it’s not all doomsday for the Vikings.

Cowherd continued, “This is not the Jets. Eventually, even if you have a rocky start, you find your way in this league pretty quickly. And I think with J.J. McCarthy, I’m not rooting against him.”

“I think he could find another organization, maybe like Arizona someday, but it’s not working because Minnesota is well run. Competition at quarterback in the NFL is nonsense. Nobody buys into that.”

The Discussion on McCarthy Is So Binary

For some Vikings fans, the ongoing quarterback competition has prematurely become a referendum on McCarthy’s career.

While losing the starting role to Murray would be a setback — particularly given McCarthy began last season as Minnesota’s starter — he would remain under contract with the Vikings for three more years, allowing time for development.

Murray’s current contract is for only one season, meaning Minnesota could be seeking another long-term solution as early as next spring. McCarthy could still fulfill that role. The Vikings drafted McCarthy based on his perceived long-term potential. A single disappointing summer would not negate that evaluation or preclude him from future opportunities.

McCarthy could spend the 2026 season as a backup and still emerge as Minnesota’s starter thereafter. Quarterback careers seldom follow a linear trajectory. Training camp will determine the immediate depth chart, not his entire NFL future. His summer is not a binary transaction.

Don’t Forget Murray’s Injury History

A sad fact: Murray has missed 26% of all career starts due to injury. He’s not a humongous guy, and with a small stature compared to his quarterback peers, he’s gotten hurt at an eyebrow-raising pace. Wouldn’t the Vikings want McCarthy and his upside around if Murray misses games due to injury? They absolutely know about his resume, and absences are a part of it.

If history repeats, Murray will miss a handful of games in 2026 — hopefully not many — and Minnesota will need an alternative. McCarthy may be perfect for the assignment, itching to prove he’s the right guy on the team that drafted him for the exact job in 2024.

Cowherd leaned into the “someday” aspect of McCarthy’s future. That part is likely true because the Vikings would be silly to discard him this soon.

Age on McCarthy’s Side

McCarthy is also young. He turned 23 in January. Some rookie quarterbacks are older than that.

Trey Lance, for example, received about three auditions in the regular season and training camp to prove his mettle. McCarthy is on chance No. 2. The book doesn’t have to be written on McCarthy just yet; it’s just that his first chapter has some pretty wild ups and downs.

If Cowherd were opining a 26-year-old who had been given a litany of chances and habitually squandered them, the narrative would be different. But the fact remains that McCarthy is only 23.

Mayfield, mentioned by Cowherd, didn’t revitalize his career in Tampa Bay until age 28. Darnold was 27 when he signed with the Vikings and got back on track in 2024. McCarthy’s parallel to these comparisons would be 2030 or 2031 — if you can believe it.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker