J.J. McCarthy Fully Cleared by Vikings' Medical Staff Amid Knee Injury Rehab

The Minnesota Vikings promising young quarterback is ready to go after missing his rookie year.

Per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune, J.J. McCarthy said he's been fully cleared by the teams medical staff after the team's player physicals at the start of mandatory minicamp.

What's more, McCarthy said he "hasn't felt" his knee "at all" after two surgeries last year.

McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, suffered a torn meniscus last August, forcing him to miss all of his rookie year after season-ending surgery. In November, he underwent a second surgery on his knee because of additional swelling, though the second surgery did not set back his recovery time at all.

With McCarthy sidelined, the Vikings turned to Sam Darnold under center, and he put together a career year with 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record.

After his outstanding season, there were questions about whether the Vikings would leave the future in the hands of Darnold or turn to their young quarterback once he returned from injury. Ultimately, Minnesota let Darnold walk in free agency, passed on Aaron Rodgers and shifted the focus toward McCarthy.

"It's a redshirt year, but mentally, the process that they had, just in our exit meetings with him, just talking about how much he learned the year compared to other years in his football life, [it was] just exponential, which you would expect for a young player in this building," Vikings general manager Kewsi Adofo-Menssah told reporters in January. "So I think we're really confident in him, his work ethic, and his preparation."

In his final season at Michigan, McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions, leading the Wolverines to a national title. While he spent the past year mostly inactive because of his injury, he's had the chance to learn from an offensive-minded coach in Kevin O'Connell, meaning he should be ready to come in and lead the Vikings' offense immediately.

Now fully cleared, McCarthy will look to spend the rest of the summer getting better as the Vikings search for another strong season.