This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings parted ways with veteran QB Kirk Cousins. With the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Vikings selected QB J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan. McCarthy is coming off a perfect 15-0 season and a national championship win with the Wolverines.
Reports this offseason noted that McCarthy will be competing with veteran QB Sam Darnold for the starting job. In Minnesota’s first preseason game over the weekend, the rookie QB played well. Unfortunately, McCarthy was held out of practice on Monday due to some knee soreness. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that McCarthy needs knee surgery and will miss the start of the 2024 season. That puts Sam Darnold in line to start Week 1 vs. the Giants.
J.J. McCarthy had an MRI on his knee and needs surgery
ESPN Sources: Vikings rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy is expected to be undergo knee surgery that will determine how much time he will be sidelined. McCarthy complained about knee soreness over the weekend, and underwent an MRI on Monday night. pic.twitter.com/EdqV8JSoNc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2024
It’s extremely unfortunate for the Vikings that J.J. McCarthy needs surgery before his first regular season game can be played. The Vikings invested a top-10 pick in McCarthy and they’ll have to wait for their rookie to get in a real game. On Saturday afternoon, the Vikings had their first preseason game of the year, hosting the Raiders. During that game, rookie QB J.J. McCarthy played well for Minnesota. He was 11-17 for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The rookie also added two rushes for 18 yards. During the game, All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson had an earpiece in while on the sideline. When McCarthy threw his first touchdown pass of the game, Jefferson was elated.
With McCarthy set to miss time, the Vikings will turn to Sam Darnold to be their unquestioned starter. They’re not going to rush back McCarthy from a knee injury. Chances are Darnold would have been the Week 1 starter. Minnesota has a favorable schedule this season with an early bye week. It gave the team a perfect opportunity to let Darnold start the first five games and then let McCarthy take over after a Week 6 bye. Those plans are going to change now that McCarthy will need knee surgery. We’ll see how long it takes the 21-year-old to get back on the field.
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