NFL
J.J. McCarthy says goodbye to his rookie season due to knee injury
The Vikings QB will be sidelined for the entire 2024 NFL season after suffering a serious injury to his right knee.
The Minnesota Vikings will be without J.J. McCarthy for the 2024 NFL season. Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced that the quarterback, who was drafted in the first round of last season, will miss the entire season following successful meniscus surgery on his right knee.
“He (McCarthy) had surgery this morning on his meniscus. He was operated on by Chris Larson, the team doctor, at Twin Cities Orthopedics,” the head coach said. “It was a successful procedure, which revealed that a repair was necessary and therefore will end J.J.’s 2024 season.”
The rookie out of Michigan played in the preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders and left a good impression. He completed 11 of 17 throws for 188 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
During his three-season college career with the Wolverines, McCarthy rushed for 6,226 yards with 49 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.
Sam Darnold will remain as a starter
McCarthy’s strong performance in the preseason gave hope that the rookie could be the QB1 from the start of the season. However, with the injury, Sam Darnold will remain the starting quarterback. The rest of the depth chart will be completed by Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall.
Darnold has extensive experience as a starter. He has started 56 of the 66 games he has played between the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, with a record of 21-35.
The Vikings have two preseason games coming up - against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday and then the Philadelphia Eagles the following weekend. Their regular season campaign gets underway at the New York Giants on 8 September.