Total Pro Sports
Colin Cowherd’s obsession with JJ McCarthy is starting to feel like that friend who just can’t stop talking about their ex. And now? He’s dragging others into it.
On Tuesday, Cowherd paired up with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini into what felt more like a conspiracy chat than a football segment.
“What I hear about JJ McCarthy isn’t what… is sometimes reported,” Cowherd said on his radio show, claiming there’s a “protective bubble” around McCarthy. He insisted the public praise doesn’t match what he’s hearing behind the scenes. “There are real concerns, from last year on,” he added.
Russini, who has sources all over the league, initially tried to push back. She pointed out that The Athletic’s Alec Lewis had reported McCarthy has been up and down at camp. But moments later, she agreed to Cowherd’s suspicion.
“It sounds like what you’ve noticed, and this is something I’ve noticed too, is that there is a lot of lifting up of JJ McCarthy,” Russini said. She even questioned whether the Vikings felt pressured to hype up the rookie after spending a first-round pick on him. It was a pretty blunt way of saying: they might be stretching the truth.
Now, let’s be clear. McCarthy hasn’t played a snap yet. He missed his rookie season with a knee injury. But to accuse the team of building a fake narrative? That’s heavy.
Wow, a bombshell back and forth between @colincowherd and @DMRussini on Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy and how the organization is propping him up when it’s not the reality 🤯
“Do I think J.J. McCarthy is wowing everyone at training camp? No, I don’t… [Vikings fans] are going to be… pic.twitter.com/XrQiPnxicY
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) August 5, 2025
Local reporters covering the Vikings camp have presented a more balanced picture. Vikings reporter Will Ragatz listed both the highs and lows about JJ McCarthy in his daily recaps. That’s not propaganda; that’s football.
Even Russini herself acknowledged players like Justin Jefferson are asking fans to be patient. “He’s pretty much a rookie,” Jefferson said in July. “You can’t really have that expectation from him.”
Cowherd didn’t seem to care. He stuck to his usual narrative. This time, though, he found backup in Russini, who added, “If you follow anything Vikings related, you would think this guy is the next biggest quarterback to play”
But fans watching McCarthy throw picks one day and darts the next know better. There’s no smoke and mirrors here, just a rookie going through the growing pains.
If the Vikings are lying, they’re doing a terrible job at it.
