JJ McCarthy suffers significant knee injury

The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback competition appears to be over by default.

JJ McCarthy recently suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee, the Vikings announced on Tuesday. The rookie had experienced knee soreness over the weekend and underwent an MRI on Monday, which revealed the extent of his injury.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said McCarthy will undergo surgery but did not give a recovery timeline.

McCarthy had been in a battle for a starting job with Sam Darnold, though it sounded like the veteran had the upper hand.

Things got more interesting after Minnesota’s preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday. McCarthy overcame an early interception in the game to finish 11/17 for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. Had he continued to play well in the Vikings’ next two preseason games, O’Connell probably would have had a tougher decision to make.

McCarthy probably won’t play at all as a rookie now in the wake of the injury. He will also miss valuable practice reps, which could be the bigger issue.

The Vikings drafted McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick this year. They did not plan to rush the former Michigan star and defending national champion into action, but McCarthy may now have to wait even longer than expected to make his NFL debut.