JJ McCarthy to undergo surgery over a meniscus injury in his knee, expected to be out for start of the season

JJ McCarthy was kept out of the team's Night practice after he complained of soreness in his knee.

JJ McCarthy to undergo surgery over a meniscus injury in his knee, expected to be out for start of the season

JJ McCarthy (Via Imago)

Some unfortunate news for Vikings fans just days after JJ McCarthy’s promising preseason debut. The former Michigan Wolverines star is expected to be out for an extended period as he will undergo surgery on his right knee as per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. The news is shocking as the organization did not report anything concerning besides the soreness on his right knee.

The Minnesota Vikings kept their rookie quarterback out of the team’s night practice yesterday after JJ McCarthy complained to the team’s medical officials of soreness in his knee. Kevin O’Connell, the head coach was cautious in playing McCarthy in the preseason game against the Raiders and took him out of the game late in the third quarter.

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Going into the game, JJ McCarthy was expected to get 30 snaps and once he got it, O’Connell was quick to bench him. On Monday, the head coach told media that the team will continue to evaluate his sore knee. 

We're going to continue an evaluation on him and get some more testing done. (He is a ) very important player, obviously, so we want to make sure we're smart before he participates, making sure we have a good understanding of where he's at.
Kevin O’Connell said

O’Connell’s initial comments on McCarthy’s soreness were that it was of a routine nature. However, the team did not want to risk anything and wanted to conduct all tests possible.

Sam Darnold is expected to start for the Minnesota Vikings with JJ McCarthy sidelined

JJ McCarthy was well on his way to being the starting quarterback for the Vikings. The team had practiced the entire off-season with him and Darnold getting the most snaps. The surgery will now result in his NFL regular season debut being postponed by a few weeks. As of now, there is no clarity with respect to his return. The organization has yet to provide a timeline. While Minnesota did not view McCarthy as having much odds of starting this season, his injury is not good news.

Despite becoming CFP national champion few months ago, JJ McCarthy reportedly has less than 10% chance of becoming Vikings' starting QB Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy (Image via IMAGO)

For now, the Vikings are prioritizing his surgery, and once the procedure is done, will a timeline be in place. This season, the Vikings are not risking a repeat of last year’s quarterback crisis. The team has four QBs on their training camp roster, the primary options are JJ McCarthy and Sam Darnold whereas Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are backup options.

JJ McCarthy showed promise in his preseason debut. Despite starting the game off with an interception on his first drive, he did not allow that to ruin the remainder of his night. He went on to throw for 188 yards, and two touchdowns, and completed 11 of his 17 throws while playing a pivotal part in leading his team to a one-point victory over the Raiders.

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