The first objective of any preseason is to emerge from it as healthy as possible.
For the Vikings and the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history, they’re on the wrong side of this simple pass-fail test.
Coach Kevin O’Connell has announced that quarterback J.J. McCarthy will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee.
The threshold question is whether he’ll have the meniscus trimmed or repaired. As to the former, the player can come back quickly. As to the latter, he could miss several months.
The other side of the coin is that a repair maximizes the amount of cartilage in the knee. A trim reduces the cushioning, setting the stage for a potential bone-on-bone situation.
The smart long-term play arguably would be to have the meniscus repaired. That would mean Sam Darnold will be the guy for 2024. With Jaren Hall as the backup. And with McCarthy potentially available in November, or thereabouts.
