EAGAN, Minn. — J.J. McCarthy scootered into the locker room, positioned himself on a chair and propped his right knee up.
It had been nearly three weeks since he’d undergone a repair to his torn meniscus, and here he was Friday inside the TCO Performance Center, speaking for the first time since he woke up and received the gutting news that he’d miss the entire 2024 season.
“It’s a kick in the balls,” McCarthy said, “but you take everything that life throws at you, and you find the positives in it.”
McCarthy is in the first stage of his rehab process from a radial tear of the medial meniscus, which prevents him from applying any pressure on the right knee for six weeks. He is crutching away around his home with the help of his fiancée, and he is zipping his way through the hallways of the Vikings’ facility in a purple-and-gold-painted scooter.
His weeks are structured with a primary intent: Simulate what it is like to be a quarterback during a real NFL game week. McCarthy participates in daily quarterback meetings, studies opposing defenses and meetings with head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Minnesota has placed a camera atop quarterback Sam Darnold’s helmet for after-practice viewing. The Vikings have even explored virtual reality software to present a more active mental training ground.
The thought is: “Let me solidify what it’s like to go through the week with the benefit of not having the pressure to perform on Sunday,” McCarthy said. “So that by the time I do play, whenever that is — next year, the following year — I’ll be ready.”
When he is not absorbing football, McCarthy is inundating himself with perspective. He said Friday he is currently reading three books: The Invention of Yesterday by Tamim Ansary; A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle; and Stay Sane in an Insane World by Greg Harden. Each, McCarthy said, provides reminders as to how he can remain positive.
By no means does that indicate this has been easy. McCarthy, whom Minnesota drafted with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was ascending throughout training camp. He had responded from a solid spring with an exceptional fall, having 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, responding from an interception to throw for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 11-of-17 passing.
The Vikings planned for him to take a notable 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 Minnesota’s trip, McCarthy felt his knee buckle as he walked down the stairs inside his home.
The pain persisted in his right knee, and even though McCarthy imagined it was a bone bruise or strain, he told the Vikings’ training staff, which 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 cannot pinpoint when the injury occurred in the Raiders game, entered with the procedure knowing there were two possibilities: A trim, meaning a four to six week recovery; or a full repair, meaning a six to eight month recovery.
He awoke to find a brace strapped around his knee, which clued him in on the lengthier operation. His initial reaction? “Profanity,” McCarthy said. “I don’t want to say it. I was definitely upset, that’s for sure.”
A segment of his sadness lay in how he’d 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 sucks not getting that opportunity to start a game or two before that decision is made, but it happened, and you’ve got to roll with the punches.”
Roll. Literally.
On Friday, he told reporters about a conversation he’d recently had with offensive lineman David Quessenberry at a team hibachi dinner at edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel’s house. Quessenbery told McCarthy he’d broken his foot his rookie year, and a veteran had told him: “This is going to be your redshirt year, so enjoy it.’
Difficult as it may be, McCarthy is trying. To find the positives in all of this, as best as he can.
Required reading
(Photo: Brad Rempel / USA Today)
