For a piece published on Dec. 2, ESPN's Ben Solak wrote that second-year Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy "doesn't have it" and "can't change his stripes" regarding what he will and won't be as a pro.

McCarthy responded to such takes by producing the best game of his young career to guide Minnesota to a convincing 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders that improved the Vikings to 5-8 on Sunday. Following that game, one unnamed NFL coach from a different team spoke with Mike Sando of The Athletic about McCarthy's ongoing development.

Vikings only know so much about J.J. McCarthy ahead of 2026

"There is nothing wrong with the truth," that coach explained. "J.J. is on the sixth start of his career, and it's going to take 30 til [sic] we know, so we don't have to bury any

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