J.J. McCarthy’s rookie year with the Minnesota Vikings is already over.
The former Michigan star quarterback and first-round NFL draft pick will miss the season after undergoing surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee, which he injured in his preseason debut last week.
McCarthy had the operation on Wednesday after suffering the injury at some point against Las Vegas. McCarthy had been having a solid training camp and was pushing starter Sam Darnold, who signed a one-year, $10 million US contract with Minnesota in March.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell delivered the news about McCarthy shortly after the team arrived for two days of joint practices with the Browns.
McCarthy’s loss was especially tough for a franchise looking for a fresh start after letting Kirk Cousins go as a free agent.
While some may have doubted Minnesota’s decision to take McCarthy with the 10th overall pick, the 21-year-old, who led the Wolverines to a national title last season, checked all the boxes over the past few months.
“I really believe that J.J. has kind of confirmed to me and a lot of our coaches and players that we got the right guy in the building for the future,” O’Connell said. “And he did it in a short amount of time. That’s what makes this news hard.
“Because you know just how exciting it would have been as a daily, minute-to-minute process moving forward. But I think that optimism should be felt by anybody in our building and hopefully our fans.”
McCarthy went 11 of 17 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the 24-23 win over the Raiders — a performance that may have led to him getting more reps with the starters.
Following the game, he told the Vikings his knee was sore and imaging tests confirmed the meniscus tear. The Vikings initially hoped McCarthy would only miss a month while acknowledging they wouldn’t know for certain until he had surgery.
“I’m the most crushed for J.J.,” O’Connell said.
According to Sportradar, there have been 135 quarterbacks drafted in the first round since 1967, and McCarthy will be just the eighth not to play as a rookie. The most recent to sit out his whole rookie year was Green Bay’s Jordan Love in 2020.
With McCarthy no longer in the mix, Nick Mullens will be Minnesota’s No. 2 quarterback. Jaren Hall is No. 3 on the depth chart.
Addison carted off practice field with ankle injury
Meanwhile, wide receiver Jordan Addison was carted off the field with an ankle injury during Wednesday’s joint practice session with the host Cleveland Browns.
Addison is expected to miss practice on Thursday and undergo additional tests to determine the severity of the injury.
Addison sustained his injury while leaping for a contested pass during 11-on-11 drills.
Addison, 22, made the NFL All-Rookie team in 2023 after hauling in 70 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 games (14 starts). He was selected by the Vikings with the 23rd overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Southern California.
Falcons acquire pass rusher Judon from Pats
The New England Patriots have traded four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round draft pick, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the teams haven’t announced the trade.
Judon became available because of a contract dispute. He has a base salary of $6.5 million this season and is seeking a new deal.
The Falcons needed a pass rusher to bolster a defence that hasn’t had a player with double-digit sacks since Vic Beasley had 15 1/2 in 2016.
Judon, who turns 32 on Thursday, played his first seasons in Baltimore. He had 34 1/2 sacks for the Ravens and made two of his four Pro Bowls. He thrived in Bill Belichick’s defence in New England, making a career-high 15 1/2 sacks in 2022.
