J.J. McCarthy surgery another blow in brutal offseason for Vikings

A season filled with hope and promised now might be on the brink.

In another blow to a brutal off-season for the Minnesota Vikings, rookie QB J.J. McCarthy needed to have a full repair of his torn meniscus, ending his 2024 season before it even started.

While there’s optimism that McCarthy comes back in 2025 healthy and the surgery can help his career in the long term, it’s a major blow to a team and fans that may have seen McCarthy play earlier than expected. McCarthy looked really good in the first preseason action of his career, showing the flashes that made him a first round pick in this past NFL Draft. Now, that’ll be the only time Vikings fans see McCarthy in Vikings purple under center.

Now, all eyes go to Sam Darnold, who is the unquestioned QB1 entering the regular season. Darnold has had a rocky career since being a first round draft pick in 2018, but has all the infrastructure around him to succeed, namely receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, along with tight end TJ Hockenson. Head coach Kevin O’Connell is a great playcaller, who has worked with players like Darnold before.

Yet, no matter how Darnold plays, fans will be wondering how McCarthy would look in this version of the Vikings’ offense. And that, we will never know.