Coach Kevin O’Connell made the announcement after 21-year-old McCarthy reported to the Vikings’ facility on Monday morning with knee soreness, which prevented him from taking part in the team’s final training-camp session open to fans on Monday evening. The injury occurred during Minnesota’s preseason opener on Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders, though there was no specific play to which the injury could be traced.
“It has been determined that J.J. does have a tear in his meniscus, in his right knee,” O’Connell said. “He will need to undergo a procedure, obviously that will hopefully take place in the near future here. But as far as a timeline on the injury, that will be determined during the procedure, based upon whether it can just be a cleanup or potentially a repair. That won’t be able to be determined until that procedure takes place. I would just be speculating on a timeline for a return at this point.”
McCarthy’s NFL debut against the Raiders started off inauspiciously before he rallied to put together a solid showing over six drives. On his first possession, McCarthy committed a false start, overthrew a receiver, and then threw an interception after getting some pressure from the Raiders’ pass rush.
However, he then rebounded to lead Minnesota to touchdowns on three of its next five possessions, two of which ended on throws by himself. He finished the game by completing 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He also had two nine-yard runs as he played second-string to veteran Sam Darnold, who started the game, which Minnesota won 24–23. McCarthy’s performance looks even better in hindsight considering the injury occurred at some point during the game.
“I credit J.J. for obviously being able to continue to play,” said O’Connell. “He did not come out of the game from the injury. He finished his night with his second touchdown pass and, at that point, had reached the snap count I was hoping to get him for the game. At no time did he think it was something that would take him out of the football game, not allow him to play.”
McCarthy was the fifth of an NFL record-tying six quarterbacks selected in a single draft after a stellar career at Michigan. His final game was a national-championship victory in the College Football Playoff, and he finished his college career with a 27–1 record, the best among quarterbacks in FBS history. McCarthy led the Wolverines to three Big Ten titles as he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and, perhaps just as important to those in Ann Arbor, Mich., he was a part of Michigan teams that defeated Ohio State three times.
This is the latest in a string of injuries to Vikings quarterbacks in recent years. Last season, Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles’ tendon in Week 8, ending a season in which he was on pace to set career highs in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. Prior to Cousins, Minnesota’s starting quarterback was Sam Bradford, who led the NFL in completion percentage for the Vikings in 2016 before suffering knee ailments in 2017, which caused him to miss 14 games.
Bradford was filling in for Teddy Bridgewater, who infamously tore several knee ligaments and suffered a dislocation during the Vikings’ 2016 training camp. Bridgewater was coming off a Pro Bowl season, but the injury caused him to miss all of 2016 and all but one game in 2017.
With McCarthy sidelined, Darnold is favored to start in Week 1 when the Vikings visit the New York Giants on Sept. 8. Darnold, who was the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, signed with Minnesota as a free agent this offseason after spending last season as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to that, he started 17 games for the Carolina Panthers from 2021–22 and started 38 games for the New York Jets from 2018–20. He sports a 21–35 career record, with 63 touchdowns versus 56 interceptions.
The Vikings also have veteran Nick Mullens and second-year player Jaren Hall on the quarterback depth chart, and they are the lone holdovers from last year’s team. O’Connell said the team will consider adding another quarterback after McCarthy’s injury, even if it’s just to have another arm to get through preseason.
“We’re gonna take a look at it,” O’Connell replied when asked if the team would add another quarterback. “We'll obviously have Sam, Nick, and Jaren ready to roll, and as we move forward, based upon plans for either practice or the preseason games, that might be something we need to do, but at this time, we’re not there yet.”
