Vikings’ Rookie Quarterback J.J. McCarthy Out for the 2024 Season After Knee Surgery
The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that their promising rookie quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, will miss the entire 2024 NFL season. McCarthy underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, as confirmed by the team on Wednesday.
McCarthy’s injury is a significant blow to the Vikings' plans and hopes for the upcoming season. The meniscus repair was deemed necessary after McCarthy reported knee soreness when he arrived at the team's facility on Monday. The medical staff wisely chose to hold him out of practice following his performance in Minnesota's preseason opener, where his knee soreness first became evident.
McCarthy had shown great promise in that preseason opener, completing 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Despite this strong showing, it was clear that his knee was not in perfect condition afterwards, leading to the decision for surgery. The procedure was successfully performed on Wednesday morning by the team's doctor.
As McCarthy faces his recovery, the Vikings must adjust their plans for the season ahead. Head coach Kevin O'Connell expressed his emotional turmoil over the situation, noting, "As crushed as I am for our team and the excitement we had in our building, and our fanbase felt the same way ... I am the most crushed for J.J. But as our fans either have already come to find out or will in the future, this guy is so motivated and so dialed in."
With McCarthy sidelined, the Vikings are now turning to Sam Darnold, who is positioned as the presumptive starter for the season. This shift in strategy is expected to affect the team's performance projections. Analysts have adjusted the Vikings' total win projection for the season, dropping it by half a win to 6.5. Additionally, their odds to win the NFC North have decreased by 2.2%, and their chances of making the playoffs have dipped by 4.7% to just 10.3%.
O'Connell remains optimistic about McCarthy's future, despite this early setback. "As excited as I was to draft him, he's confirmed everything that I hoped to see, not only early on through training camp, first performance last Saturday, but he should -- our fanbase and everyone should just be excited about the fact that we've got our young franchise quarterback, I believe, in the building," he said.
The Vikings have had their fair share of adversity recently. Alongside McCarthy's injury, the team is also coping with the prolonged absence of tight end T.J. Hockenson, who suffered an ACL tear late last season. Furthermore, wide receiver Jordan Addison is facing a likely suspension following a DUI arrest earlier this summer. Addison compounded his troubles by sustaining an injury in practice on Wednesday, though it is not believed to be serious.
This is not the first time a first-round quarterback has missed their entire rookie season. However, McCarthy is notably the first to do so because of an injury in the Common Draft era. O'Connell highlighted the development opportunities McCarthy will still have off the field, stating, "It's just 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. Other quarterbacks in our league have gone through similar things early on in their journey and come back stronger and better than ever. And that is not only my expectation, I know that is going to happen for J.J."
Despite the immediate challenges, O'Connell is confident in McCarthy's long-term potential. "Checking the boxes of the physical part of it, there is no question in my mind the physical talent that J.J. has. And even just for some of you guys who saw him back from Day 1 in the spring until really Saturday night, the transformation of a really good player, had really started to look like an NFL quarterback," he remarked.
McCarthy's path forward, while devoid of immediate physical engagements on the gridiron, is still ripe with growth opportunities. O'Connell emphasized the myriad ways in which they would support McCarthy’s mental development. "Outside of the physical reps, there's just so many ways that now that the physical side and the path to physically playing the position the way we want is clearly there, it's now the [need to] really stress mentally above the neck where, how many ways and different sequences and different environments can we put him in that we can get as close to those reps as possible so that he has a seamless transition when that time is right," O'Connell added.
As the Vikings brace for a season filled with obstacles, the organization and its fans can look to McCarthy's recovery with hope. Though he will not take the field this year, his journey towards becoming the franchise quarterback the Vikings envisioned continues with unwavering support and high expectations.