The Minnesota Vikings have had an interesting offseason, to say the least. Early on, they made the decision to allow four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins depart in free agency. Cousins signed a four-year $160 million to play for the Atlanta Falcons.
While losing Cousins was a definite blow, the Vikings also made the very popular decision to give wide receiver Justin Jefferson a massive four-year $140 million contract extension. This deal made Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
Still, the team needed a quarterback to get Jefferson the ball. To replace Cousins, the Vikings signed free agent quarterback Sam Darnold, who spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers. Darnold also has had stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Darnold, however, is not Minnesota’s long-term answer at the quarterback position. That honor goes to JJ McCarthy, whom the Vikings selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Minnesota Vikings Rookie Quarterback JJ McCarthy Suffers Knee Injury
When the Vikings first drafted McCarthy, the plan was that he would sit behind Darnold for as long as it takes for him to become ready to compete in the NFL. According to an article ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote back in April, “The Vikings will follow an individualized development plan they created for each of the quarterbacks they considered drafting, one that requires McCarthy to hit specific benchmarks and gives coach Kevin O’Connell full authority to make the timing decision.”
He continued, “The approach is designed to avoid the worst-case scenario — ruining McCarthy’s career by exposing him before he is ready — and is a big reason the Vikings spent $10 million in March to sign veteran Sam Darnold as a bridge starter.”
The decision to bring McCarthy along slowly is part of a trend that more and more NFL teams are utilizing. Even the Falcons drafted their quarterback of the future after the signed Cousins.
Unfortunately, McCarthy’s development and his ability to meet those benchmarks Seifert mentions may take longer than expected. The former Michigan quarterback missed practice due to knee soreness, and a subsequent MRI revealed a torn meniscus:
#Vikings QB JJ McCarthy missed practice with knee soreness and tests revealed a meniscus issue that he’ll undergo surgery for, per me and @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/2WSxVdaOtX
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 13, 2024
Once McCarthy has surgery, doctors and the Vikings will have a better idea of how much time he will miss. If the meniscus is just partially torn, he will only miss a few weeks. If it needs more work, though, he could miss the entire season.
Minnesota Vikings Quarterback JJ McCarthy Posts Heartfelt Message to Fans Afte Injury
After news of his knee injury broke, McCarthy posted on X (formerly Twitter):
Love you Viking nation. I’ll be back in no time. Amor fati
— J.J. McCarthy (@jjmccarthy09) August 13, 2024
For those wondering, “Amor fait” is a Latin phrase that means “love for one’s fate.”
While the injury is definitely a setback for McCarthy, he obviously is taking it in stride and is not getting down on himself.
For Minnesota, it should not change too much of their plans for 2024 as Darnold was signed to be their starter anyway.
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