On Wednesday, the injury news for Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy just got worse.
The team announced that McCarthy, who won a national championship at Michigan and was the 10th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, will miss the season after undergoing meniscus surgery.
It was previously reported that he would undergo surgery, but the extent of the injury was not reported to be season-ending.
Sam Darnold is now fully entrenched as the Vikings’ starting quarterback.
He spent two years in Carolina and his first three NFL seasons with the Jets before serving as the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco last season.
The team has a combined record of 21-35 in games Darnold has started, but there is optimism about him heading into this season under coach Kevin O’Connell, a highly regarded offensive lineman.
O’Connell is in his third season as the Vikings coach after serving as offensive coordinator under head coach Sean McVay with the Rams for two years, including a Super Bowl win in 2021-22.
Quarterbacks Nick Mullens and Jalen Hall, who started a combined five games for the Vikings last season, remain on the team’s roster.
According to the latest FanDuel odds, the Vikings have total over/under odds of winning of 7.5, with the over at +134 and the under at -168.
