BEREA, Ohio (AP) — JJ McCarthy’s rookie year with the Minnesota Vikings is already over.
The former Michigan star quarterback and NFL first-round draft pick will miss the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee, which he injured in his season debut last week.
McCarthy underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus he suffered sometime against Las Vegas. McCarthy had a solid training camp and was expected to back up starter Sam Darnold, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with Minnesota in March.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell delivered the news about McCarthy Shortly thereafter, the team arrived for two days of joint training with the Browns.
O’Connell said McCarthy, who was selected 10th in the draft after leading the Wolverines to the national title, has checked all the boxes over the past few months. He said the team is excited about McCarthy’s future.
“He confirmed a lot of things that not only I, but a lot of others and JJ himself needed to confirm,” O’Connell said. “He did that. Now he just needs to go through this process so that when his time comes, he’s healthy and can take the reins of this thing.”
McCarthy completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the Raiders. The 21-year-old told the team that his knee was sore after the game and that the meniscus tear had been diagnosed through imaging tests.
The Vikings had initially hoped that McCarthy would only be out for a month, but acknowledged that they would not know for sure until after his surgery.
“I feel the most sorry for JJ,” O’Connell said.
Nick Mullens will be Minnesota’s second quarterback. The 29-year-old started three games for Minnesota last year when the Vikings’ season was derailed by an injury to starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and the team used several substitutes.
“He’s not just another capable player on the quarterback staff,” O’Connell said. “He provides context, experience and understanding to our offense on a daily basis. His experience last year was critical. I think he learned he can be an explosive driver of our offense, and he also learned to take care of the football and make sure we play aggressively but don’t go over the line by putting the ball at risk of being lost.”
“The team is excited about Nick because like many of us, we’ve been through ups and downs, but he’s able to really be a guy we can rely on and be just a click away.”
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Tom Withers, The Associated Press
