McCarthy underwent a procedure on his right knee this week after an increase in his rehab work caused some swelling, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports. In the wake of a successful preseason debut back on Aug. 10, McCarthy reported soreness in his right knee, and he eventually was diagnosed with a torn meniscus, which required surgery Aug. 14. Considering he was placed on injured reserve before Week 1, the rookie first-round pick isn't eligible to play this season, so getting him healthy will be a priority for the Vikings as he heads into his first full offseason. In the meantime, the Vikings will continue to entrust the offense to quarterback Sam Darnold.
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Status
IR - Knee - Meniscus - Surgery Expected Return: 2025-02-10Latest J.J. McCarthy news
Team
Minnesota Vikings
Birthdate
1/20/2003 (21)
Status
Injured Reserve
HT/WT
6'3", 219 lbs
Draft Info
2024: Rd 1; Pk (MIN)
Birthplace
La Grange Park, IL, USA
Position
QB
College
Michigan
Career History
Minnesota Vikings
2024-Present
(1 season)
McCarthy underwent a procedure on his right knee this week after an increase in his rehab work caused some swelling, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports. In the wake of a successful preseason debut back on Aug. 10, McCarthy reported soreness in his right knee, and he eventually was diagnosed with a torn meniscus, which required surgery Aug. 14. Considering he was placed on injured reserve before Week 1, the rookie first-round pick isn't eligible to play this season, so getting him healthy will be a priority for the Vikings as he heads into his first full offseason. In the meantime, the Vikings will continue to entrust the offense to quarterback Sam Darnold.
The Vikings placed McCarthy (knee) on injured reserve Friday. Minnesota signed quarterback Matt Corral in a corresponding transaction. Head coach Kevin O'Connell had already ruled McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in April's draft, out for the season, so his official placement on injured reserve was expected. McCarthy will turn his attention to making a recovery from surgery undergone Wednesday to make a full repair of the meniscus in his right knee, while the Vikings turn to Sam Darnold as the Week 1 starter. Corral joins Nick Mullens and second-year quarterback Jaren Hall behind Darnold on the depth chart.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that McCarthy underwent season-ending surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. There was some hope the rookie No. 10 overall pick would only need his meniscus trimmed, an operation that would've allowed him to return in 2024. Instead, surgeons ended up doing a full repair of the meniscus, likely leaving McCarthy with a recovery timeline of 4-to-6 months. With McCarthy's rookie season now completely wiped out, Sam Darnold is set to start Week 1 for the Vikings and potentially hold on the top spot on the depth chart throughout the season. Minnesota could look to upgrade its depth at the position behind Darnold, with journeyman Nick Mullens and second-year quarterback Jaren Hall currently ranking as the Nos. 2 and 3 options, respectively.
McCarthy (knee) has a tear in his meniscus in his right knee and the severity of the injury will be determined once he undergoes surgery, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. McCarthy is set to miss extended time, but an exact timetable "will be something determined during the procedure," according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. If the quarterback is dealing with a small tear, he may be able to address it with a cleanup surgery, but a full repair would mean a longer recovery, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. O'Connell also added that the team will ultimately do "what's best for the long-term health of J.J."
McCarthy (knee) is expected to undergo knee surgery to address a meniscus issue after having an MRI on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. McCarthy reported knee soreness over the weekend, and the MRI he underwent Monday revealed an issue serious enough to require surgery. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that McCarthy will require either a meniscus trim, which would require a 4-to-6 week recovery, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, or a repair which could sideline the rookie quarterback multiple months. Even if McCarthy is able to receive the quicker recovery timeline, Sam Darnold now faces a clear path to the Week 1 starting gig for Minnesota.
McCarthy (knee) is not practicing Monday, and it is unclear if he will travel to Cleveland for joint practices, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. McCarthy excelled during his preseason debut to the tune of two passing touchdowns and 188 yards through the air. The rookie also completed 11 of 17 passes and finished with a 116.8 passer rating. It is unclear how serious his knee soreness is, but it would not be surprising to see the Vikings exercise caution with the 10th overall pick in this year's draft. If McCarthy ultimately misses more practice time, Sam Darnold would presumably get all of the first-team reps, while Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall continue competing for the No. 3 role under center.
McCarthy was 11-for-17 passing for 188 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in Saturday's preseason win over Las Vegas. McCarthy threw an interception on a rushed throw under pressure on his first drive in his pro debut, but he settled down thereafter and was sharp with a 116.8 passer rating. Most of his production came in the second half against the second- and third-string defense, but he threw nice deep balls on touchdown passes of 45 and 33 yards. Sam Darnold played just the first series on offense as he remains the favorite to start Week 1. However, McCarthy showed he could be a factor earlier rather than later this season.
Coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that McCarthy will get "a significant amount of work" during Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders, but that Sam Darnold will start at quarterback, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. McCarthy may or may not get a chance to work with the first-team offense after Darnold on Saturday, but in any case it sounds like the rookie first-round pick will get plenty of opportunities to display his talents. Though McCarthy has ceded the majority of first-team reps to Darnold to start training camp, the expectation is for that split to grow more even as the regular season approaches. Darnold remains the favorite to start Week 1 against the Giants, but a strong preseason showing by McCarthy on Saturday could make that conversation more interesting.
Coach Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday that McCarthy will get more first-team reps later in training camp, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports. Sam Darnold dominated first-team reps throughout the offseason and now into the first week of training camp, making him the favorite to start Week 1 even though McCarthy was drafted 10th overall in April. O'Connell said he'll eventually want McCarthy to get more work with the starters, which also will allow the coaches to see how Darnold looks without WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to lean on. While fantasy players rightfully are curious about a potential QB battle, it sounds like O'Connell is currently more concerned with installing his offense and making sure all the quarterbacks are capable of running it. Things could get more interesting in August if McCarthy looks especially sharp during practices and/or preseason games.