J.J. McCarthy Won't Have Limitations in Vikings' Offseason Program Amid Injury Rehab

J.J. McCarthy spent the entire 2024 season on the sidelines because of a torn meniscus in his right knee, but the Minnesota Vikings quarterback will be a full participant in the team's offseason program.

Per ESPN's Kevin Seifert, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday that McCarthy won't have any limitations this offseason.

"I think he's ready to hit the ground running as of today," O'Connell said.

Minnesota picked McCarthy 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft with hopes he would compete for the starting job as a rookie, but his season came to an end in preseason after he suffered a torn meniscus. He underwent a second knee surgery in November.

While he lost his rookie year due to injury, all the cards are in place for him to have a strong second campaign.

McCarthy hasn't been named the starter yet, but with the offseason departures of Sam Darnold, who went to the Seattle Seahawks, and Daniel Jones, who joined the Indianapolis Colts, the likelihood of McCarthy getting the starting nod seems high. The Vikings also passed on free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which is a good sign that Minnesota is ready to move forward with McCarthy.

According to Seifert, the Vikings haven't yet closed the door on adding another quarterback to a room that features just McCarthy and Brett Rypien. O'Connell said the team has a "pretty detailed plan for how we want to go about" bringing in another quarterback.

But with most of the top free agent quarterbacks already off the market, "Vikings players are preparing for the likelihood that McCarthy will be the starter," per Seifert.

McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions in his final year with Michigan, leading the Wolverines to a national championship. While he still has no NFL reps, he's spent the past year learning from an offensive-minded coach in O'Connell and is now looking to use what he's learned under center in Minnesota.