How long will Vikings' J.J. McCarthy be out with meniscus injury? It depends

McCarthy could miss as little as a few weeks or as much as six months.

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) under center against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The news that Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy needs surgery on a meniscus tear in his right knee is not what anyone wanted to hear, especially just days after his impressive preseason debut at U.S. Bank Stadium. The big question now is how long he'll be out with this injury.

McCarthy will undergo one of two procedures — a choice that will be made at the time of his surgery when doctors get a better sense for the scope of the damage. He'll either have a trim or "cleanup" of the meniscus, which would put him on a return timeline of around 3-6 weeks, or he'll have a full repair done, which would keep him out for 4-6 months. The Vikings are remaining optimistic that this could be a short-term issue.

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"First and foremost, we'll get this procedure done, we'll make sure that we're doing the right things for him to have the best possible recovery," Kevin O'Connell said on Tuesday. "Obviously, we didn't want J.J. to get injured, but we don't know the severity yet. We're hopefully having a shorter timeline than a longer timeline. ... I think all of us will be staying optimistic."

Whether McCarthy gets the short-term procedure or the full repair will be determined by what's best for his long-term health and future. "I have total, complete trust in our medical staff and also the people that will be performing the procedure," O'Connell said. There's some theoretical potential that the short-term option, which involves removing part of the meniscus, could lead to future knee issues down the road.

Although every situation is unique, we can look to examples of other athletes who have suffered meniscus injuries as a way to set expectations for McCarthy. Earlier this year, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns had the short-term procedure and returned to action exactly one month after surgery. On the other end of the spectrum, former Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. suffered a meniscus injury in the 2021 preseason, had the full repair, and missed the entire season. Adrian Peterson also had a full meniscus repair in September 2016 that cost him the rest of that year.

If the doctors believe McCarthy's meniscus can be fixed with a trim without much of a chance for future complications, he could be back fairly quickly and still possibly start games for the Vikings this year. If they determine that the full repair is the best option for his long-term future, he'll wind up missing his whole rookie season. The most important thing is making sure the 21-year-old McCarthy — who could be the future of the Vikings' franchise — is healthy for many years to come.

With J.J. McCarthy needing surgery, Sam Darnold is cemented as Vikings' Week 1 QB