Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
Minnesota Vikings fans will see none of J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 regular season after the rookie passer tore his meniscus in the team’s first preseason game three weeks ago.
McCarthy and the Vikings opted for a full meniscus repair, putting the 21-year-old on ice until 2025. In his stead, veteran signal-caller Sam Darnold will lead the 2024 team, hoping for a reclamation season after never effectuating his 2018 draft stock.
And according to The Athletic, McCarthy had stolen the hearts of coaches and executives leaguewide — so much so that credible onlookers believed the young Wolverine was trending as the best quarterback from the 2024 class.
“Quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s torn meniscus was a tough one to swallow,” The Athletic’s Jeff Howe wrote last weekend. “Prior to the injury, rival coaches and executives debated whether the Michigan product would’ve had the best season among the six first-round rookie QBs.”
McCarthy’s 1st-Round class included:
Williams, Daniels, and Nix will start out of the gate for their respective teams this weekend, while Penix Jr. and Maye will claim QB2 roles. McCarthy is the only injured 1st-Round passer at the moment — to which Vikings fans say, “Go figure.”
McCarthy’s replacement, Darnold, has not found stardom in the last six seasons after joining the NFL as the third overall pick in 2018. Before the McCarthy injury, some Vikings faithful insisted that the 27-year-old could produce a “Baker Mayfield season” in Minnesota, which is now the great hope for 2024 Vikings operations.
McCarthy posted encouragement on Instagram after his injury, “A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it,” a quote from Marcus Aurelius.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell also addressed McCarthy’s injury soon after the season-ending revelation. “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.
McCarthy becomes the first rookie quarterback drafted in Round 1 to miss all of his first season due to injury in the Super Bowl era. The Vikings could not catch a break.
But when he returns, per The Athletic, Minnesota has the right guy.
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.