J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, will be sidelined for his rookie season after knee surgery.
Injuries can be brutal, but they seem especially cruel when they occur to a rookie during their first NFL preseason .
Earlier this week, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was experiencing soreness in his knee. Testing done on McCarthy’s sore knee revealed a meniscus issue, which required surgery to repair, but to determine the length of time he would need to rehabilitate required them to see the knee from the inside. That surgery occurred on Wednesday, and the news for the former Michigan signal caller is not ideal, as he reportedly had a full MCL tear and will miss the remainder of the season, according to several reports .
In McCarthy’s final season at Michigan, the junior compiled 2,991 passing yards, 25 total touchdowns, and led the Big Ten in completion percentage (72.3%), adjusted passing yards per attempt (9.8), and passing efficiency rating (167.4) en route to the school’s first National Championship since 1997.
After moving on from Kirk Cousins this past offseason, the Vikings selected McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick and he was expected to challenge for a starting role. McCarthy’s primary competition for the starting quarterback job had come from Sam Darnold—who signed a 1-year $10 million free agent contract this offseason—as well as Nick Mullens (who started against the Lions twice last season—both losses), along with 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall.
Darnold, a former No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft , will likely be the frontrunner for the Vikings quarterback role. Darnold spent 2023 backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco, starting one game (Week 18 when the 49ers rested their starters), a loss to the Los Angeles Rams . On the season, Darnold completed 28 of his 46 passes (60.9%) for 297 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Prior to last season, Darnold played two seasons in Carolina, starting 11 games in 2021 (winning just four) before losing a quarterback competition to Baker Mayfield in 2022. After Mayfield was released, Darnold took over the final six games, only to not have his contract renewed that offseason, as the Panthers targeted and drafted Bryce Young.