Vikings mourns the loss of QB J.J. McCarthy after tests reveal meniscus tear

J.J. McCarthy, the rookie quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, will require knee surgery and be sidelined indefinitely following testing that indicated a meniscus problem, according to reports from NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero on Tuesday.

Later, at an earlier than planned media session, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell disclosed to reporters that McCarthy had suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee.

“As far as the timeline of the injury, that will be something determined during the procedure, based upon whether it can just be a cleanup or potentially a repair,” O’Connell stated on Tuesday.

McCarthy would only miss a few weeks if the meniscus could be cut, according to Rapoport. McCarthy would have to miss “many months” if a complete repair was necessary.

McCarthy missed practice on Monday due to a condition that was initially thought to be knee pain, but additional testing identified a surgically necessary issue.

McCarthy had a promising outing in his NFL preseason debut on Saturday, scoring two touchdowns.

On the Vikings’ second drive, McCarthy replaced starting quarterback Sam Darnold and got off to a rough start, intercepting a pass on his fourth play. However, he became more comfortable after that, concluding the game with 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception over his six drives. He also added two 18-yard rushes.

“I give J.J. credit for clearly being able to play,” O’Connell remarked on Tuesday. “Despite the injuries, he continued to play and ended the game with a second touchdown throw. By then, I was expecting to get him through the game, and at that point, he had kind of reached the snap count that was removed, but he never imagined that it would be something that would prevent him from participating in the football game.”