ESPN Provides Additional Info on J.J. McCarthy’s Status
Everything about the 2024 Minnesota Vikings changed on Wednesday when the club announced rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy would miss the 2024 campaign with a torn meniscus.
ESPN Provides Additional Info on J.J. McCarthy’s Status
The team tweeted, “J.J. McCarthy underwent successful surgery this morning that required a full repair and he will miss the entire 2024 season.”
Thanks to ESPN on Wednesday evening, more was learned about the franchise’s mindset regarding McCarthy. In short, McCarthy could theoretically be ready to return later in the season, but the Vikings won’t entertain the idea.
“Doing surgery now gives McCarthy a full offseason — and puts him on the cusp of actually returning late in the year, though there’s no way Minnesota rushes that,” Fowler tweeted.
Minnesota will start veteran Sam Darnold this season, with familiar names in Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall as backups. An additional veteran could be added before too long as well, especially for playing time during the final two preseason games.
Fowler added about Darnold’s role, “Vikings fully planned to start Sam Darnold this season and give McCarthy time to develop. But McCarthy looked ready to at least make things interesting in the short term. His talent and makeup have very much impressed.”
McCarthy played wonderfully five days ago in the preseason, diming 188 passing yards and 2 touchdowns over Las Vegas. The young Wolverine took a couple of drives to settle in but later looked very much like a 10th-overall pick in the draft. After the game, he reported knee soreness and skipped Monday’s Night Practice at TCO Performance Center. Head coach Kevin O’Connell wasn’t too alarmed, at least not outwardly, on Monday about the injury, but the situation quickly devolved into a worst-case scenario. McCarthy will now be set on ice until 2025.
The good news about Fowler’s tweet illustrates the injury’s severity. If McCarthy were a seasoned veteran, he’d have a pathway to return sometime late in the season. Yet, this brand of Vikings leadership regime has no history of rushing players back from injury and will evidently play it safe with the rookie passer, which is probably the safest bet.
O’Connell also weighed in on McCarthy’s injury this week. “He’s confirmed everything that I hoped to see early in training camp through his performance last Saturday, but our fan base and everyone should just be excited about the fact that we’ve got our young franchise quarterback, I believe, in the building,” he said.
“And now it’s about the unique aspect of continuing a very critical development process for him, where maybe the physical reps aren’t going to be there in the short term, but this is going to be a small bump in the road.”
McCarthy posted encouragement on Instagram on Wednesday, “A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it,” a quote from Marcus Aurelius.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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