EAGAN, Minn. – JJ McCarthy drove into the locker room, sat on a chair and rested his right knee.
It’s been nearly three weeks since he underwent repair to his torn meniscus, and here he was Friday in the TCO Performance Center, speaking for the first time since he woke up and received the gut-wrenching news that he would miss the whole thing. 2024 season.
“It’s a kick in the balls,” McCarthy said, “but you take whatever life throws at you and you find the positives in it.”
McCarthy is in the first phase of his rehabilitation process from a radial medial meniscus tear that has prevented him from applying any pressure on his right knee for six weeks. He limps away around his home with the help of his girlfriendand he zips his way through the hallways of the Vikings’ facility on a purple-and-gold painted scooter.
His weeks are structured with a primary intent: Simulate what it’s like to be a quarterback during a real NFL game week. McCarthy attends daily quarterback meetings, studies opposing defenses and meetings with head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Minnesota placed a camera on quarterback Sam Darnold’s helmet for post-practice viewing. The Vikings have even explored virtual reality software to present a more active mental workout.
The thought is, “Let me consolidate what it’s like to get through the week with the benefit of not having the pressure to perform on Sunday,” McCarthy said. “So that when I play, whenever that is – next year, the year after that – I’ll be ready.”
When he’s not absorbing football, McCarthy floods himself with perspective. He said Friday that he is currently reading three books: The Invention of Yesterday by Tamim Ansary; Eckhart Tolle’s New Earth; and Stay Sane in an Insane World by Greg Harden. Each, McCarthy said, provides reminders of how he can stay positive.
That in no way indicates that this was easy. McCarthy, whom Minnesota drafted with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has been moving up through training camp. He responded from a solid spring with an exceptional drop, improved newly learned footwork and developed more comfort in O’Connell’s system.
He wowed in the team’s first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, going from an interception to throwing for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 11-of-17 passing.
The Vikings planned for him to take a significant chunk of the first-team reps in Cleveland during joint practices with the Browns. McCarthy was also scheduled to start that weekend. It was then, just days before the Minnesota trip, that McCarthy felt his knee buckle as he walked down the stairs inside his home.
The pain persisted in his right knee, and although McCarthy imagined it was a bone bruise or strain, he told the Vikings’ coaching staff, who suggested an MRI.
“I wanted to play it safe and play the long game,” McCarthy said. “At the end of the day, what’s best for this organization and this team is me making smart decisions, especially early in my career. That was one of them.”
Tests showed a meniscus tear, requiring surgery. McCarthy, who said Friday he still can’t pinpoint when the injury occurred in the Raiders game, went into the procedure knowing there were two possibilities: a tweak, which means a four- to six-week recovery; or full repair, which means a six to eight month recovery.
He awoke to find a brace tied around his knee, which tipped him off to the longer operation. His initial reaction? “Disease,” said McCarthy. “I don’t want to say it. I was definitely upset, that’s for sure.”
A segment of his sadness lay in how he felt about how he could help Minnesota’s 2024 team.
“I felt like I was ready to perform and help this team win in any way I could,” McCarthy said. “It’s a bummer not to get that chance to start a game or two before that decision is made, but it happened, and you have to roll with the punches.”
roll Literally.
On Friday, he told reporters about a conversation he recently had with offensive lineman David Quessenberry at a team hibachi dinner at edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel’s house. Quessenbergy told McCarthy he broke his foot his rookie year, and a veteran told him, “This is going to be your redshirt year, so enjoy it.”
Hard as it may be, McCarthy is trying. Find the positives in all of this, as best you can.
Required reading
(Photo: Brad Rempel/USA Today)
