Minnesota Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy’s season is over, ended by a torn meniscus in his preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Speaking for the first time since having surgery to repair the injury on Friday, McCarthy opened by thanking fans for their support. He said he was unsure of when he suffered it. He said he only realized the next day when the knee buckled as he tried to walk down the stairs.
“There’s three different types of meniscus tears,” McCarthy told reporters on September 6. “Mine was medial and radial, so six weeks of just no pressure and all that and we’re go from there. But I’m just focused on one day at a time, doing whatever I can to help this team win, and be successful each day.”
McCarthy said the injury was a “kick in the b****” after he had played well in his debut.
The No. 10 pick of the 2024 draft, McCarthy completed 64.7% of his passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns and one interception versus the Raiders in the preseason.
J.J. McCarthy Gets Honest About Choosing Season-Ending Knee Surgery Over Quicker Return to Vikings
McCarthy said he had never before felt the instability in his knee that he felt following the outing, noting he has had bone bruises before but nothing of this magnitude. He said he could have tried to play through the injury, set to start versus the Cleveland Browns in preseason Week 2.
He opted to take a long-term approach instead.
That included deciding against a procedure that could have potentially seen him return in four to six weeks.
“You could [choose the four-to-six-week option],” McCarthy admitted. “But then you risk later on in your career having bone-on-bone issues, and nobody wants that, even post-career. It’s just at the end of the day, you want to be able to be as healthy as possible. And Dr. [Christoper] Larson and his team did a fantastic job of making the proper decision.
“I trust them with my career, and it’s going great so far.”
McCarthy is expected to make a full recovery for 2025, and the Vikings planned to start veteran 2024 free agency signing Sam Darnold.
J.J. McCarthy ‘So Excited’ for Sam Darnold
Darnold told reporters on September 4 that he had seen McCarthy doing a lot of reading, and the latter noted his ADHD means he reads “a lot of books” at once.
He listed his three titles – “Invention of Yesterday”, “A New Earth”, and “An Insane World” – saying they have helped him mentally. McCarthy also said that he “appreciated” Darnold’s comments, adding that the veteran has been “great” throughout his ordeal.
He is also “so excited” to see Darnold take the field for the Vikings in Week 1 versus the New York Giants.
“I’ve watched him since I was just picking up football I think in middle school,” McCarthy said.
“The guy works so hard, he’s so talented, he’s had such a amazing journey this far into his career, and I feel like it’s just about to start because he’s done a lot of good things, put it on tape this camp, and I can’t wait for him to show the world.”
Darnold is on a one-year, $10 million contract, so even a career performance in 2024 could be an audition for a new team in 2025 with McCarthy ready to step in.
