Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: No limitations at voluntary OTAs
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Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday at the start of Minnesota's voluntary OTAs that McCarthy (knee) will participate in "full" with "no limitations," Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
The 2024 first-round pick missed his entire rookie campaign due to a torn meniscus that he was diagnosed with just after his preseason debut, but after the quarterback resumed on-field work in January, O'Connell said McCarthy is now "ready to hit the ground running" with no training limitations, per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune. Despite McCarthy not being able to log any regular-season action as a rookie, Minnesota's confidence in the young-signal caller was high enough for the team to allow Sam Darnold to sign with Seattle after a career year, leaving last year's 10th overall pick in clear position to enter Year 2 as a starter. With an elite top trio of pass catchers at his disposal in the form of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, plus an O-line recently bolstered by offseason signings Ryan Kelly and Will Fries (lower leg), McCarthy has all the surrounding support necessary to start his tenure in the No. 1 seat strong.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Appears locked in as starter
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The Vikings have rejected multiple trade calls on McCarthy (knee) this offseason and aren't pursuing Aaron Rodgers in free agency, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Minnesota is still expected to sign a veteran quarterback after losing Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens last week, but it won't be someone that represents a serious threat to take the starting job from McCarthy. The 10th overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft appeared be pressing Darnold for the starting gig last summer after throwing for 188 yards and two touchdowns in his preseason debut, only to be diagnosed with a torn meniscus a few days later. McCarthy had season-ending surgery in mid-August and didn't resume on-field work until the winter, but he should be back to full strength well before training camp. It isn't yet clear if he'll have any limitations during spring practices.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Will miss entire rookie season
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Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that McCarthy underwent season-ending surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
The Vikings had some hope that the rookie No. 10 overall pick would only need his meniscus trimmed, an operation that would've allowed him to return in 2024. Instead, surgeons ended up doing a full repair of the meniscus, likely leaving McCarthy with a recovery timeline of 4-to-6 months. With McCarthy's rookie season now completely wiped out, Sam Darnold is set to start Week 1 for the Vikings and potentially hold down the top spot on the depth chart throughout the season. Minnesota could look to upgrade its depth at the position behind Darnold, with journeyman Nick Mullens and second-year quarterback Jaren Hall currently ranking as the Nos. 2 and 3 options, respectively.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Severity of knee injury TBD
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McCarthy (knee) has a tear in his meniscus in his right knee, but the severity of the injury won't be determined until he undergoes surgery, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
McCarthy is set to miss extended time, but an exact timeline "will be something determined during the procedure," according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. If the quarterback is dealing with a small tear, he may be able to address it with a cleanup surgery, but a full repair would mean a longer recovery, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. O'Connell also added that the team will ultimately do "what's best for the long-term health of J.J." Sam Darnold appears set to begin the regular season as the Vikings' starting quarterback.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Expected to undergo knee surgery
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McCarthy (knee) is expected to undergo knee surgery to address a meniscus issue after having an MRI on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
McCarthy reported knee soreness over the weekend, and the MRI he underwent Monday revealed an issue serious enough to require surgery. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that McCarthy will require either a meniscus trim, which would carry a recovery timeline of at least a few weeks, or a repair which could sideline the rookie quarterback multiple months. Even if McCarthy is able to make a rapid return, Sam Darnold now has a clear path to the Week 1 starting gig for Minnesota.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Nursing knee soreness
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McCarthy (knee) is not practicing Monday, and it is unclear if he will travel to Cleveland for joint practices, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
McCarthy excelled during his preseason debut to the tune of two passing touchdowns and 188 yards through the air. The rookie also completed 11 of 17 passes and finished with a 116.8 passer rating. It is unclear how serious his knee soreness is, but it would not be surprising to see the Vikings exercise caution with the 10th overall pick in this year's draft. If McCarthy ultimately misses more practice time, Sam Darnold would presumably get all of the first-team reps while Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall continue competing for the No. 3 role under center.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Two TD passes in pro debut
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McCarthy was 11-for-17 passing for 188 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in Saturday's preseason win over Las Vegas.
McCarthy threw an interception on a rushed throw under pressure on his first drive in his pro debut, but he settled down thereafter and was sharp with a 116.8 passer rating. Most of his production came in the second half against the second- and third-string defense, but he threw nice deep balls on touchdown passes of 45 and 33 yards. Sam Darnold played just the first series on offense as he remains the favorite to start Week 1. However, McCarthy showed he could be a factor earlier rather than later this season.
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Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Set for significant action Saturday
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Coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that McCarthy will get "a significant amount of work" during Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders, but that Sam Darnold will start at quarterback, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
McCarthy may or may not get a chance to work with the first-team offense after Darnold on Saturday, but in any case it sounds like the rookie first-round pick will get plenty of opportunities to display his talents. Though McCarthy has ceded the majority of first-team reps to Darnold to start training camp, the expectation is for that split to grow more even as the regular season approaches. Darnold remains the favorite to start Week 1 against the Giants, but a strong preseason showing by McCarthy on Saturday could make that conversation more interesting.
