J.J. McCarthy was 'extremely shocked' about severity of knee injury

McCarthy underwent a season-ending full meniscus repair on Aug. 14.

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

J.J. McCarthy woke up the morning of Aug. 11, walked down the stairs at his house and his knee buckled. The feeling of instability in his knee was something he hadn’t ever experienced before.

That was a day after McCarthy completed 11-of-17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 24-23 preseason victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. McCarthy was gearing up to start for the first time the following week in a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, but the pain got worse on Monday, and he reported the injury to the Vikings training staff. 

“I can be a tough guy and tough it out and try to grit out that first start that I was going to get in Cleveland, but at the end of the day, what’s best for this organization and this steam is me making smart decisions, especially early in my career, and that was one of them,” McCarthy told reporters on Friday. “Let’s figure this out before a land mine goes off in my knee.” 

JJ McCarthy’s conversation with the media on his injury, recovery, mentality and what he can learn this year pic.twitter.com/Upf218C4My

— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) September 6, 2024

That ended up being the correct decision as an MRI revealed medial and radial tears of his right meniscus. McCarthy underwent a full repair of the meniscus and will miss the entire season. 

“It’s tough. It’s kind of a kick in the balls, but you know what, you take everything that life throws at you and you find the positives in it, good or bad,” McCarthy told reporters. “And I feel like I’ve been able to gain those deeper connections with my teammates and really take a step back and learn the offense in a more relaxed kind of state of mind. I’m just appreciating every moment.” 

While McCarthy said he hadn’t experienced a feeling similar to the meniscus tear before, he was still “extremely shocked” when the MRI revealed the tear. McCarthy thought it was either a bruise or a strain. Once the tear was revealed, the next step was determining the surgery needed to address it. A trim is a four- to six-week recovery. The full repair takes a six- to eight-month recovery.

McCarthy wouldn’t know which surgery would be necessary until he woke up from the procedure. If he woke up without a brace, it was the partial repair. If he woke up with a brace, it was the full repair.

McCarthy woke up with a brace on his right knee. 

“Profanity,” McCarthy said of the first thing he thought when he saw the brace. 

McCarthy still isn’t sure when he injured the knee during the game against the Raiders. He said his adrenaline was flowing, even after he left the game, and didn’t feel the injury until his knee buckled walking down the stairs the following day. And while he’s a competitor who wanted to play, McCarthy also acknowledged the full repair was what was best for his long-term outlook. 

And McCarthy is also taking the tough news in stride. He has to stay off his feet for the next six weeks as part of the recovery process, but he's been spending time reading several books to help strengthen his mind. He said it “feels like home” within the Vikings organization, and Sam Darnold and other teammates have been checking in with him regularly. 

McCarthy describes this season as his “redshirt” year. He’s focusing on learning the playbook and taking mental reps as he prepares to eventually take the field. It'll only be a matter of time.

“The biggest learning process is my routine throughout the week,” McCarthy told reporters. “Let me solidify what it’s like to go through the week, and with the benefit of not having pressure to perform on Sunday. So by the time I do play, whenever that is, next year, the following year, whenever it is, I’ll be ready and it won’t be like this is my first game.”