The Minnesota Vikings were like the Island of Misfit Toys for quarterbacks in 2024 with Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Brett Rypien. After Kirk Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons, nearly everyone expected them to crash and burn. What no one was prepared for was for Darnold, who joined the Vikings after Cousins departed, to have the best season of his career.
The Vikings had made good on their promise to Cousins and selected J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With Cousins gone, it was expected McCarthy would learn behind Darnold. Unfortunately, McCarthy injured himself during the preseason and didn’t get much playing time.
Now that Darnold has accepted a massive contract from the Seattle Seahawks, McCarthy is expected to start. However, there are concerns that he might not possess the “wow factor” necessary to be an elite quarterback in the league.
Colin Cowherd Casts Doubts About J.J. McCarthy’s NFL Potential
On a recent episode of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Colin Cowherd openly explained his disbelief about McCarthy’s abilities. He mentioned that McCarthy threw at least one pick a day for the past three days during the team’s minicamp.
Cowherd did acknowledge that the sample film of McCarthy in the NFL is small. There was only one preseason game in 2024, and Cowherd called him “good,” citing that he completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
“Then you get the two surgeries, so we don’t know what he is,” said Cowherd about his confidence that McCarthy can be a top 10 quarterback in the league. “There is so much mystery here. Why does Minnesota keep flirting with other quarterbacks? And there’s too many conflicting reports on J.J. McCarthy. I feel sometimes I’m getting a spin job here. To be a great franchise quarterback, there’s got to be a trait; there has to be a wow trait.”
As he began listing his top quarterbacks, Cowherd pointed out they all have at least one “wow factor:” Patrick Mahomes, arm; Josh Allen, force of size; Lamar Jackson, athleticism; Matthew Stafford, magical arm; Joe Burrow, composure and accuracy; Justin Herbert, big and strong; C.J. Stroud, accuracy; Jalen Hurts, strength; Kyler Murray, elusiveness.
“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
He added that this is historically true when examining the greats, such as Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Peyton and Eli Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers. They all possess at least one exceptional quarterback trait that sets them apart from the quarterbacks who are just good game managers.
“If you go back and look, his arm is modest, his escapeability is modest, his release wasn’t super quick, there is no great trait. That’s why I was always a Darnold fan. Darnold was tough, with a big arm. He can be reckless, but his ability to make big throws while moving is special. I don’t get McCarthy’s wow trait.”
Cowherd said he thinks some of these quarterbacks get a boost in college because of who they play for. He doesn’t believe it when anyone says, “This guy is a winner,” and they played for Jim Harbaugh, Nick Saban, or Steve Spurrier until he sees it for himself in the pros.
McCarthy will have his work cut out for him as the preseason progresses. After such an unexpected and incredible season from Darnold, McCarthy has big shoes to fill.
