The injury news went from bad to worse for Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Wednesday.
The team announced that McCarthy, who was selected 10th overall in this year’s draft after winning the national championship at Michigan, is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his meniscus.
Sam Darnold now becomes fully entrenched as the Vikings starting quarterback.
He spent last season backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco after spending two years in Carolina and his first three NFL seasons with the Jets, who selected him third-overall in the 2018 draft. He has a one-year, $10 million contract with Minnesota.
Darnold’s teams have gone 21-35 in the games he’s started, but there’s some optimism for him this year, now that he’s coached by Kevin O’Connell, a highly regarded offensive mind.
The Vikings face the Giants in the Sept. 8 season opener at MetLife.
It will mark Darnold’s second start at his old home since being jettisoned by the Jets.
He faced the Giants Oct. 24, 2021, as the Panthers starter, when he went 16-for-25 for 112 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He also was sacked three times in a 25-3 Carolina loss.
The Vikings also have a date with the Jets on Oct. 6 in London.
O’Connell is entering his third season as coach of the Vikings after serving as offensive coordinator under Sean McVay with the Rams for a two-year run that included a Super Bowl LVI championship in the 2021 season.
O’Connell delivered the news shortly after the team arrived for two days of joint practices with the Browns.
“He’s confirmed a lot of things that not just myself, but a lot of people and J.J. himself needed to confirm,” O’Connell told the AP. “He’s done that. Now he just has to work through this process, so that when his time does come, he’s healthy and he gets to take the reins of this thing.”
McCarthy went 11-of-17 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in Minnesota’s preseason opener against the Raiders on Saturday.
He informed the team after the game about knee soreness. The tear was later confirmed by imaging tests, with the severity revealed during surgery.
“I’m the most crushed for J.J.,” O’Connell said.
Nick Mullens will move up to the primary backup role, and Jaren Hall, who started a combined five games for the Vikings last season, remains on the team’s roster.
The Vikings have an Over/Under win total of 7.5 with the Over at +134 and the Under juiced to -168, according to the latest odds on FanDuel.
