NFL insider discusses timeline for J.J. McCarthy's meniscus surgery, recovery

As Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is set to go under the knife for a repair to a meniscus in his knee, his status going forward is not entirely clear. And that’s because it will depend on what the surgeon decides to do once they’ve finally gotten an up-close look at the issue.

It was reported earlier on Tuesday that McCarthy would get the issue surgically repaired.

But either way, the Vikings are likely to be in a spot to weather the storm if McCarthy is out for a matter of weeks or the whole season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That’s because the Vikings signed quarterback Sam Darnold this offseason, seemingly with the intention of starting him while McCarthy could develop at his own pace.

With McCarthy on the shelf for an injury for at least a handful of weeks, the Darnold acquisition has the Vikings in a much stronger spot than if McCarthy was the presumed starter.

“However, the Minnesota Vikings took a quarterback in the first round not really for this year, but for the next 15 years,” Rapoport said on NFL Network on Tuesday. “This is someone who I know they believe in. This is someone that they want to see on the field at some point soon. But as you mentioned, it seemed to be tracking that Sam Darnold was going to be the starter anyway for the Vikings. So if their option is to go forward and make sure that McCarthy is 100 percent for next year, it’s not great but it may not be the worst-case scenario, either.”

McCarthy’s status going forward will fluctuate based on whether his surgeon determines that a more minor meniscus procedure — one where a small portion is trimmed away to relieve discomfort in the knee — or a full-fledged repair are needed. The former would likely see McCarthy ready to potentially play in the early weeks of the season. A total meniscus repair will have McCarthy out likely for the 2024 season.

“The options that the doctor will have is, you can do the meniscus trim which is essentially cutting off a piece of the meniscus and just sewing it up and kind of moving on from there,” Rapoport said. “It is something that is not perfect and sometimes, as you alluded to, can lead to long-term issues. But it generally is weeks, four to six weeks would be a typically timeline for a meniscus trim. For the meniscus repair, it’s generally months. Sometimes can be as much as three to four or even five months. But long term, this is considered the more stable, better option. The difference, obviously, is that if J.J. McCarthy has the meniscus repair, then he is not expected to play this season.”