Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to undergo knee surgery

Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will undergo surgery on his right knee and be out indefinitely, coach Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday.

O'Connell said a day earlier that McCarthy experienced soreness in the knee and undergo tests. He said Tuesday the quarterback tore his meniscus.

"Hopefully we'll be having a shorter timeline rather than a longer timeline, but the most important thing right now is making sure, from a medical standpoint, that we have identified the injury," O'Connell said.

"The potential [details of the] severity will come when we do that procedure."

O'Connell said the Vikings will consider adding a quarterback to their roster.

McCarthy completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards, two scores and an interception in the Vikings' preseason opener, a 24-23 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday in Minneapolis.

He left the game because of a snap-count restriction, not due to his knee issues. But O'Connell said that the injury did occur during the game.

"Love you Viking nation," McCarthy wrote Tuesday on X. "I'll be back in no time."

NFL journeyman Sam Darnold, who spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers, is in line to be the Vikings' starter. Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are among the other quarterbacks on the roster.

The Vikings will face the Cleveland Browns in another preseason game at 4:25 p.m. EDT Saturday in Cleveland. They will play the Philadelphia Eagles in their preseason finale Aug. 24 in Philadelphia.