The Minnesota Vikings QB competition is ongoing, and there is no shortage of takes from the national media on the battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy.
On the Aug. 6 edition of “The Herd,” host Colin Cowherd responded to what’s coming out of Vikings training camp in that McCarthy appears to be trying not to lose the job rather than win it.
As a result, Cowherd didn’t hold back on his thoughts on McCarthy, who is in Year 3 of head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Because of that, the former first-round pick should have an advantage over Murray, but that doesn’t appear to be materializing.
“At this point, with three years in the bag, McCarthy should be pulling away, or at least at this point, first weekend, be ahead,” Cowherd said on his show. “And my take is quarterback play in the NFL, especially for young quarterbacks, it’s a lot like comedy.
“The more you have to explain the joke, the less funny the joke is. Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr don’t have to explain the joke; they’re just funny. If you got to keep telling me how good a quarterback is, oh, he is getting his footing, he is viable, he’s getting there, he is on the right track. If you gotta keep trying to convince me a guy is good, he’s not good.”
J.J. McCarthy Could Be Enter a Challenging Situation
Moreover, Cowherd notes that McCarthy’s situation in Minnesota might be uncertain, especially if he loses the quarterback competition to Murray.
“The text I got from an absolutely unimpeachable source, somebody that has been perfect, he’s never led me astray, was the J.J. McCarthy situation in Minnesota is not good,” Cowherd added. “So the truth is simple: The more words you add to the truth, the more I think it’s BS.
“And Minnesota’s trying to convince me, oh, this joke is funny, this quarterback’s viable. Stop. I’m looking at the numbers. As a starter in the NFL, J.J. McCarthy is last in completion percentage, passer rating, and TD-to-interception ratio. Last.”
Last season with the Vikings, McCarthy had 310 pass snaps, leading to a 61.8 overall PFF grade. He also threw for 1,632 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, while recording 19 big-time throws and 15 turnover-worthy plays.
Vikings Insider Issues Latest on Team’s QB Competition
Recently, during an Aug. 5 appearance on “Wake Up Barstool,” The Athletic’s Alec Lewis shared his take on where the QB competition stands.
“Battle would not be the word that I personally would use,” Lewis said. “I’ve covered this team for more than four years now, and I’ve watched the arc of how the quarterback position got to this point.
“When the team signed Kyler Murray this spring, it was pretty clear at the time that he would be the overwhelming favorite to start the 2026 season unless J.J. McCarthy drastically improved, developed and showed that every day. Through six practices, there has been nothing that I’ve seen that would shift me from that perspective based on covering this team and being out there.”
Vikings Receive Harsh J.J. McCarthy Reality Check Amid QB Battle