The preseasons have already started, and it seems like it’s full of ups and downs for many teams. And it looks like the Vikings’ QB saw the dark side after the first pre-season game. After having an impressive debut in the pre-season where he threw 188 downs and landed two TDs last weekend, Minnesota Vikings rookie QB, J.J. McCarthy suffered a setback. Well, it seems like the knee soreness had a serious underlying concern.

The 1st round pick currently suffers from a torn meniscus in the right knee as revealed by his coach, Kevin O’Connell. While the fans’ wait for an update on the injury was over, it seems like they now wait for an update on the return of McCarthy. According to The Purple Persuasion’s post on X, the rookie QB is yet to undergo a meniscectomy or a meniscus repair, “Meniscectomy: 4-6 weeks – Meniscus repair: 4-6 months.” As the words directly came from Dr. Evan Jeffries, Meniscus repair seemed to keep McCarthy out of the gridiron for quite a long period.

And it looks like that’s quite justified from Jalen Ramsey’s similar experience from his last season. While his outer rim meniscus tore off in July 2023, he was expected to return in December 2023. However, he ended up returning in October, taking only three months for the comeback. Well, Jalen’s injury was different from a displaced tear and was thus repaired via trim, clearing his paths for an early return to the gridiron. But, that might not be expected in the case of McCarthy, owing to his right knee meniscus tear. And it seems like the coach has much to say on his return as a trim surgery could mark an early return of J.J. McCarthy, whereas a meniscus repair might lead to a 2025 return for the QB, “That’s totally, totally a medical decision,” per Vikings’ HC.

Amidst all this uncertainty, McCarthy seemed to be confident of an early return. It looks like the 21-year-old was hoping for a speedy recovery as he expresses his love for his home on X, “Love you, Viking nation. I’ll be back in no time. Amor fati”.

With J.J. McCarthy now out of action, his debut in the 2024 season will be on hold till the Vikings come up with a timeline for his return after the successful completion of the surgery. As of now, let’s take a dig at the timeline of the rookie QB from his college days to the 2024 NFL draft.

J.J. McCarthy’s journey from college football to the NFL is full of ups and downs

McCarthy played with the Michigan in his college days. Although he wasn’t the best QB in college football, McCarthy didn’t fail at displaying intriguing potential. Well, J.J. was ranked 3rd in the country with 72.3% pass completion and a total QBR of 89.2. Moreover, the 6-foot-2, 219-pound passer threw 40 passes along with 11 interceptions over 3 college seasons, which finally led the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023. However, just before the 2024 NFL draft, the ESPN consensus rankings placed him at No. 4.

And then, with all the impressive records, J.J. McCarthy became the Round 1 No. 10 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft for the Vikings. While his arm talent was never doubted, a huge knock to his game was coming out from his inability to consistently layer the ball to the boundary or push the ball downfield, “The biggest issue for McCarthy has been his lack of consistency when either layering the ball to the boundary or pushing the ball downfield. ” per Dan Mizutani. Well, that requires a rework of his footwork, which is not possible as of now concerning his injury.

While, the Vikings hope for his speedy recovery, who can replace the position of McCarthy for the upcoming season? Let us know below in the comments.