Prominent FOX analyst continues his rampage against Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

"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.

"To be a great franchise quarterback 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 -- 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."

There is plenty to digest here. Cowherd follows the NFL on a national stage and doesn't follow what each team in particular does. The Vikings allowed Darnold to leave, and the only other QB who was tied to Minnesota was Aaron Rodgers. The Vikings ultimately didn't want him -- and yes, Rodgers wanted to play in Minnesota -- and he signed with the Steelers.

The Vikings are all-in on McCarthy and love what he brings to the table. The issue with Cowherd and others, all they look at is what he did at Michigan -- including winning a national title. Jim Harbaugh never asked McCarthy to throw the ball 40 times a game. The Wolverines leaned on their run game and their defense, but that was always their identity. McCarthy made plenty of big plays when he needed and that's a reason why Michigan won the national title in 2023.

Now, it's up to McCarthy to show why he was the 10th pick in the draft.