Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) drops back against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
J.J. McCarthy put together a strong performance on Saturday. Unfortunately, his effort has led to a bit of missed practice time.
Kevin O’Connell met with the media on Monday. To start the conversation, O’Connell noted that a minor knee ailment would be keeping McCarthy out of practice. “J.J. McCarthy came in today,” O’Connell notes, “with a little bit of right knee soreness.”
Minnesota tends to be cautious with player health. So, overreacting to McCarthy missing a bit of time wouldn’t be wise.
In all likelihood, the Vikings are simply doing their due diligence and being ultra cautious. O’Connell’s thoughts: “Out of precaution, we’re going to continue an evaluation on him and get some more testing done. Very important player, obviously, so we want to make sure we’re smart about, before he participates.”
McCarthy didn’t take part in the Monday night practice and the coach couldn’t confirm a precise moment when his knee got hurt.
By the time his day was done, McCarthy had completed 11/17 passes for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The athletic passer added on a pair of carries for 18 yards.
Consider the highlights:
Yes, the interception isn’t great, but the rookie had a wonderful debut in the NFL. By no means did the game look too fast for him. At various points, McCarthy moved around the pocket with poise and his throws had good zip (confirming the reports about having a fastball). Under McCarthy’s watch, the Vikings’ offense scored three explosive touchdowns, though one was a long run from Kene Nwangwu.
O’Connell was later asked to clarify if he thought the injury was anything serious. The head coach suggests that the thinking is it’s merely “routine soreness.”
In terms of joint practices, O’Connell is hopeful but cautious: “He was going to get a lot of work. Get some more work with, potentially, the first group, even tonight. And so hopefully we can maintain the plans we’ve kind of had for him.” The coach then goes on to describe the rookie’s “high quality reps” before going on to praise how the former Wolverine performed on Saturday.
Last season, the Vikings went through no shortage of QB turmoil, so it makes sense to be cautious. Kirk Cousins, a player who never gets hurt, got hurt. The QB1 was lost for the season in Week 8 to a torn Achilles. At that time, Nick Mullens, the QB2, was already hurt. Jaren Hall started in Week 9 but was concussed early on in the game, leading to the need for Joshua Dobbs.
Make no mistake: the QB chaos hasn’t been forgotten in Eagan. If there’s even a minor injury right now, the Vikings will be cautious. Yes, there’s a desire to have J.J. McCarthy soak up snaps in practice — especially in Cleveland — but it’s far more important that everyone maintains their health.
In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Vikings made a minor leap up the board to draft J.J. McCarthy. The No. 10 pick in the draft got sunk into the Michigan passer. The expectation is that Sam Darnold will be the starter but the long-term plan is to hand things off to McCarthy before too long.
McCarthy is 21.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.