J.J.

McCarthy

According to Seifert, sources have told the team is “more open-minded about their 2025 plans than many realize” in regards to Darnold and the possibility of bringing him back. Darnold has experience a career resurgence with the Vikings, throwing for 3299-28-10 on the season while inserting himself in the MVP conversation. Darnold won’t win the MVP, but he has already set himself for a handsome pay day next offseason. The Vikings have rookie J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings, which has led many to believe Darnold would be allowed to walk next offseason, but that may not entirely be the case. With three weeks left in the regular season and the playoffs ahead of them, the Vikings still have plenty of time left to assess their future with/without Darnold. Regardless of where he lands, it will be an interesting offseason for the former No. 3 overall pick.

Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings in the offseason. The Vikings went on to take J.J. McCarthy in the first round, making Darnold a bridge quarterback. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in August and Darnold has played remarkably well as the starter, but the Vikings aren’t sold just yet. An early exit in the playoffs could be all they need to move on from Darnold in favor of the younger, higher-upside McCarthy. However, at 10-2, the Vikings are still fighting for a first-round bye and could at least be favored in the Wild Card Round. A deep playoff run would make it nearly impossible to move on from Darnold, even with a first-round pick waiting in the wings.

The report comes from The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, who clarified a previous report regarding McCarthy’s latest knee-related developments. Per Goessling, “McCarthy had a biologic injection to deal with intermittent swelling in his knee. No change to his recovery timeline.” While previous reports suggested McCarthy required a second surgery to address an issue with his repaired meniscus, Goessling’s source told him “it was just an injection... No second surgery.” Confusion likely arose over the “exploratory procedure” that was used to help diagnose the cause of the intermittent swelling but McCarthy’s “recovery and timetable remain on course.” He should be good to go in 2025.

Per Seifert, the additional surgery does not affect his recovery timeline. McCarthy is still working his way back from the torn meniscus he suffered just before the start of the season and has already been ruled out for the year. We’re still months away from the offseason, so the second surgery may be nothing more than a footnote when practices start up next year. Still, it’s worth noting that his recovery hasn’t gone exactly to plan. With Sam Darnold’s play spiraling, McCarthy is looking more likely to be the Vikings’ next quarterback with each passing week.

The move officially sidelines McCarthy for the 2024 NFL season. Fantasy managers should expect a full return to health in 2025, as full meniscus repairs have generally positive long-term outcomes.

McCarthy suffered the knee injury during the Vikings’ preseason opener last weekend. It was initially reported as knee soreness, but the issue was later revealed to be a meniscus injury that required surgery. Barring any setbacks, McCarthy should be ready for training camp next year. Without the No. 10 overall pick looking over his shoulder, Sam Darnold is locked in as the Vikings starter this year. With Kevin O’Connell calling the shots and Justin Jefferson as his top receiver, this is the best situation Darnold has ever found himself in as a starter. He will rank as a QB2 to open the season.

The team had been cagey with McCarthy’s supposed knee soreness following his outstanding preseason debut against the Raiders. McCarthy will require surgery on a torn meniscus. O’Connell said the severity of the injury is not yet known, and he offered no timeline for the rookie’s return to action. This all but guarantees Sam Darnold will start the regular season under center for Minnesota. Darnold completed four of eight throws for 59 yards in the team’s preseason opener against Vegas.

McCarthy appears to have emerged from the team’s first preseason game with knee soreness and was held out of practice Monday as a precaution. Head coach Kevin O’Connell stated that the rookie quarterback would undergo further testing to uncover the full extent of the injury. Any missed time in camp or the preseason could delay the No. 10 overall pick’s debut in the 2024 season.

McCarthy overcame an early interception in this one to throw for 188 yards in roughly two full quarters of play. He completed four passes of 20-plus yards and threw two beautiful deep balls for scores, with the first coming on a 45-yard pass to Trishton Jackson. Trent Sherfield would later be on the receiving end of a 33-yard touchdown pass, which would be the last pass for McCarthy on a highly productive afternoon. McCarthy got most of his work against the Raiders’ backups and would still need a very strong month to unseat Sam Darnold as the team’s Week 1 starter.

Sam Darnold will get the start before McCarthy takes the reins. Second-year QB Jaren Hall will play after that. McCarthy’s extensive repetitions backlit by Darnold and Hall’s showings should give viewers a good idea of McCarthy’s development thus far.