A familiar voice says about the verdict against JJ McCarthy: “Not so fast”
Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in a preseason win against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.
A familiar voice says about the verdict against JJ McCarthy: “Not so fast”
The Vikings tweeted Wednesday: “JJ McCarthy underwent successful surgery this morning that required complete repair. He will miss the entire 2024 season.”
That’s a done deal, right? McCarthy will miss the entire season? Not so fastsays Professional football Speak‘S Michael Florio.
Florio wrote Thursday morning: “The Vikings have not yet placed him on the injured list, which would effectively end his rookie season. If they wait until the 53-man roster is finalized, he could potentially return later in the year.”
Before people get their hopes up, let’s make one caveat clear: It would be pretty odd if the team’s main social media handle tweeted that he “will miss the entire 2024 season” — while leaving open the possibility of a return late in the season. Most likely, McCarthy will go on the injured list, and that’ll be that.
But Florio isn’t entirely convinced. “It’s a fair question at this point. A meniscus repair isn’t usually like a torn ACL or an Achilles tendon,” he added. “Unless McCarthy’s situation is such that there’s no way he can recover before the end of the regular season or the Vikings have made the strategic decision not to use him at all this year, even if he could be medically cleared, it’s possible the Vikings will keep the door open — without making anything of it.”
This type of Vikings leadership, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell, are known for being very cautious when it comes to players recovering from injuries, so it seems unlikely that McCarthy will return to the team sometime in 2024.
Florio concluded: “None of this will matter if/when the Vikings place McCarthy on the injured list before August 27th. If they do it after that, a return will theoretically be possible.”
So if you believe the Florio theory, it’s a waiting game until the injured list kicks in. The Vikings basically have 12 days to put McCarthy on the injured list, and if that’s the case, he would effectively be on the bench for all of 2024.
However, the door is currently technically open for a return in 2024.
McCarthy posted something positive on Instagram on Wednesday, just hours after the Vikings’ tweet: “A blazing fire turns everything that is thrown into it into flame and brightness,” a quote from Marcus Aurelius.
Minnesota will rely on Sam Darnold as the fearless QB1 while McCarthy focuses on meniscus recovery.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube channel. VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis and opinions on all things purple team related, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Viking obsession dates back to 1996. Listed secret passions: Peanut butter ice cream, “The Sopranos,” Basset Hounds and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information from OverTheCap.com.
