Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy suffers torn meniscus

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a tremendous NFL debut last week but that excitement was short-lived. McCarthy was held out of practice due to knee soreness but the news got worse.

The team sent McCarthy for an MRI and discovered he suffered a torn meniscus. In many cases, a torn meniscus isn’t an automatic surgery but according to ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, he will have surgery.

There are virtually no details out about the nature of the injury so we won’t speculate much on what his recovery window is. However, there is very little blood flow to the meniscus which can extend recovery time. In some cases, players will simply have the meniscus removed or pass on surgery and let it heal naturally.

With McCarthy on the shelf for the time being, it will be Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens battling for the starting quarterback spot.