After J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, it's understandable that some are skeptical about him entering the 2025 campaign as the new starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings.
FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd hasn't exactly been leading the McCarthy train since the young signal-caller entered the league last year, and the longtime radio host proved it again on Thursday with some new comments on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" show.
"I am a skeptic. First of all, he played for a college team known for a run game and defense. He was not asked to win games. He was asked not to lose them.
He's got a modest arm, he's marginally athletic, and again, he's going into a very good division, and [the Vikings] seriously considered re-signing Sam Darnold.
...I'm always so reluctant to embrace a quarterback when everybody says, 'I don't know how to describe it, he's a winner.' Danny Wuerffel was a winner. Every Steve Spurrier quarterback at Florida was a winner. All of Urban Meyer's quarterbacks, everywhere he goes, are winners. Alex Smith was a winner and a good quarterback.
...I think he can play a little bit, but I think he's closer to Jackson Dart than Jayden Daniels. That's how I would say it."
Latest scorching hot take about Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy uses recycled material
Well, there are definitely a lot of things to say about Cowherd's most recent thoughts on McCarthy.
First off, saying he has "a modest arm" and "he's marginally athletic" is hilarious. Not only did McCarthy record the third-fastest ball velocity (61 mph) at the NFL Scouting Combine since 2008, but he also had the sixth-fastest time in the three-cone drill (6.82 seconds) of anyone at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
Secondly, Minnesota never "seriously considered" re-signing Sam Darnold this offseason. The Vikings did the courteous thing and presented him with an offer, but they knew it wasn't anything Darnold was going to agree to since he was hoping to land a big payday this year.
And then, of course, there's the comparison of McCarthy to Danny Wuerffel, the former University of Florida quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy and helped the Gators win the National Championship in 1996. That's right, 29 years ago. The entire sport of football has changed in the last 29 years, so this comparison is hilariously terrible.
When it comes to the remark about Jaxon Dart and Jayden Daniels, we'll just say this: Bless your heart, Colin.
Cowherd is very knowledgeable about multiple sports and sometimes (sometimes) he can even be right about certain things. But when it comes to McCarthy, he needs to head back to the drawing board to find some criticisms that are actually believable.