'Knee soreness': Vikings to hold J.J. McCarthy out of practice

Fans in attendance Monday night will not get to see the rookie quarterback.

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

Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy will not participate in Monday night's open training camp practice due to knee soreness, coach Kevin O'Connell said.

O'Connell said before practice that McCarthy was scheduled to get a lot of work during Monday's practice, but instead, he will be kept out for precautionary reasons, preventing fans in attendance from getting a first-hand glimpse of the exciting rookie QB.

"J.J. McCarthy came in today with a bit of right knee soreness," O'Connell said. "Out of precaution, we're going to continue an evaluation on him, get some more testing done. ... We want to make sure we're smart about, before he participates, making sure we have a good understanding of where he's at."

O'Connell said it wasn't something that happened during Saturday's preseason game, calling it "routine soreness that a lot of guys, after their first preseason game, sometimes come in with." He added that he doesn't currently have any reason to believe this is something serious for McCarthy.

The Vikings are heading to Cleveland on Tuesday for a pair of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. O'Connell said he doesn't know for sure if McCarthy will travel with the team. He's hoping to provide an update as soon as Tuesday on McCarthy's status.

The Vikings' practice Monday night is open to fans and features events throughout the night, including DJs, fireworks, music and autograph sessions. The open practice was originally scheduled for Aug. 5 but was cancelled due to weather and rescheduled for Monday night.

McCarthy made his preseason debut this weekend and impressed, completing 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the Vikings' 24-23 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Will Ragatz contributed to this report.