It can be argued that Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy looked the best of all the rookie quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft to make their preseason debut thus far. But unfortunately, it now also seems like McCarthy may have to wait the longest to make his debut in the regular season.
McCarthy showed the Vikings signs that he is truly their quarterback of the future, throwing for 188 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception. It wasn’t a perfect debut, but he certainly flashed the upside that the organization seemingly saw in him when they drafted him.
However, the preseason debut did end up bringing more negatives than it did positives for McCarthy’s long-term growth. On Monday, McCarthy missed practice due to knee soreness following Saturday’s game.
An MRI was later done on McCarthy Monday night which brought further bad news for Vikings fans. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, McCarthy is set to undergo knee surgery which will “determine how much time he will be sidelined”.
ESPN Sources: Vikings rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy is expected to be undergo knee surgery that will determine how much time he will be sidelined. McCarthy complained about knee soreness over the weekend, and underwent an MRI on Monday night. pic.twitter.com/EdqV8JSoNc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2024
McCarthy had been in a quarterback battle with veteran Sam Darnold for the starting job that has reportedly been pretty tight throughout training camp. But there is no doubt that McCarthy is who the organization wants to be the quarterback of the future.
Now, McCarthy will have to put his hopes of starting on pause and focus on recovering after his surgery, which is never what you want from your rookie quarterback.
