On Tuesday, the Minnesota Vikings were dealt a crushing blow when it was announced that they would be without their rookie quarterback indefinitely. According to head coach Kevin O’Connell, J.J. McCarthy is set to undergo surgery on a torn meniscus this week. The timeline of his return will vary depending on the procedure they have to do once they look at his knee.
This begs the question, will it make sense for the Vikings to play J.J. McCarthy in 2024 even if it isn’t a serious injury?
Many have predicted that a healthy McCarthy would have started sometime after the bye week. A minimum timetable for a meniscus trimming procedure—yes, that is somehow the better option despite how it sounds—has him back within six weeks, roughly. That would actually align with the team’s bye week, which is scheduled for Week 6.
A return in the middle to late October will be enough time if the procedure doesn’t reveal anything serious. If it doesn’t, his entire rookie season is in jeopardy.
With Sam Darnold, Jaren Hall, and Nick Mullens on the roster, what shape will this team be in come late October? They have a tough schedule, to begin with, and while Darnold looked good on Saturday, it is still a far cry away from winning football when it counts.
If the team isn’t in some form of contention, why rush McCarthy back? The team has been vocal they are all about the future with him, and we saw against the Raiders why he is getting that treatment. This brings me to the answer to the question asked in the headline: it doesn’t make sense for J.J. McCarthy to play in 2024.
Even if his surgery proves to be a best-case scenario, this team is either going to be winning with Sam Darnold or losing with him. If he is winning, making a change doesn’t make sense. If they are losing, well, then it doesn’t make sense to expose a rookie quarterback who is losing out on practice reps and a preseason to an NFL regular season.
For 72 hours, the Vikings season had a lot of hope, but alas. The games still need to be played, but we are back to having tempered expectations for the 2024 season.