​The Minnesota Vikings quarterback competition is heating up, and no one is backing down on social media from defending who they think should win the job. Through it all, the coaching staff has remained steadfast in their execution of this quarterback competition and has provided little insight to the quarterback room.However, that has not stopped those outside the building from offering their voice and opinion. Recently, Greg Cosell offered his opinion on J.J. McCarthy, and he remains steadfast on where he felt when he was a prospect.Cosell explained, “I did not really like him a ton coming out, and when I say that, I don’t mean that ‘I thought he couldn’t play in the league,’ but I didn’t view it him as a first-round pick. Obviously, the Vikings did. It hasn’t worked out for a number of reasons, some of which I felt like I saw on tape when I watched them in college.”“I did NOT really like him a ton coming out.. I didn’t view him as a first round pick.”“It hasn’t worked out for a NUMBER of reasons, some of which I felt like I saw on tape when I watched him in college…”@GregCosell on J.J. McCarthy: https://t.co/pJ8xXWP5lApic.twitter.com/iX1ZR6Sh59— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) July 23, 2026Cosell did offer a glimmer of hope for fans who do not want to pack things in. He also discussed that we have seen this before, where a guy struggles before ultimately having things click. “I don’t want to say there’s never hope for a guy, because some of the concerns were fundamental and mechanical, things that can clearly be worked on. . .he’s been injured a lot. It’s just that there hasn’t been a flow to his ability to play. . .we’ve seen quarterbacks that, you know, have struggled through early parts of their career, and then all of a sudden, you know, the situation is different. They mature, they progress.”This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Analyst critical of J.J. McCarthy entering pivotal 2026 season