Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) scrambles against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
During Minnesota’s preseason opener, rookie QB J.J. McCarthy suffered a meniscus tear.
The injury put a damper on what was a promising opener for the rookie as he threw for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns. For Vikings fans hoping to see the rookie suit up this year, Wednesday’s update only brought worse news.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell went to the podium on Wednesday ahead of Minnesota’s first joint practice with the Cleveland Browns, and he announced that McCarthy will miss the entire 2024 season after a full meniscus repair.
The official Vikings account tweeted the news Wednesday afternoon, writing, “Head Coach Kevin O’Connell announces that J.J. McCarthy underwent successful surgery this morning that required a full repair and he will miss the entire 2024 season.”
The Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in this spring’s draft after a historically successful collegiate career at Michigan. The QB helped lead the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023 throwing for 2991 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just four interceptions while completing 72.3% of his passes.
The injury is just the latest in what has been a stretch of QB injuries over the past year, including Kirk Cousins’ season-ending Achilles tear last October. Minnesota ultimately started four different quarterbacks during the 2023 season while navigating these injuries.
Now, the Vikings officially will rely on Sam Darnold to lead their offense this fall after signing the former third overall pick to a one-year contract this offseason.
Darnold spent the 2023 season with the San Francisco 49ers as the backup to Brock Purdy. Prior to that, the QB spent five seasons with the New York Jets (2018-2020) and Carolina Panthers (2021-2022). In total, Darnold has started 56 games and has thrown for 12,064 yards and 63 touchdowns along with 56 interceptions while completing 59.7% of his passes.
Ultimately, the McCarthy injury certainly takes some wind out of the sails for Vikings fans, but it shouldn’t derail too many plans for the future. The young QB is now on track to get a chance to fully learn O’Connell’s offense over the next year before showing what he can do as the starting QB in 2025.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference CFB.