J.J. McCarthy injury update shines light on why he really missed preseason finale, and he’s been the subject of trade talks
When it was announced that Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was going to miss Friday’s preseason finale against the Denver Broncos, there was a lot of criticism sent his way. Another injury was keeping McCarthy out of a game, and it felt weird considering he had practiced in full earlier in the week. On Monday, […]
When it was announced that Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was going to miss Friday’s preseason finale against the Denver Broncos, there was a lot of criticism sent his way. Another injury was keeping McCarthy out of a game, and it felt weird considering he had practiced in full earlier in the week.
On Monday, we got some interesting context about the injury, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that it’s likely a multi-week injury suffered to his ankle.
J.J. McCarthy to be sidelined for multiple weeks
Schefter was direct about the situation, including talking about why the Vikings didn’t trade him.
“The Vikings, Kyler is the starter. J.J. is the former one. I think Carson Wentz winds up being the two right away. First of all, J.J.’s got the ankle injury right now. He’s got a sprained ankle that I think is a multi-week injury, and then Wentz becomes the two there, and Max Brozner would have been the guy that would have been expendable, except they like him. They’ve seen enough from him that they believe in him. So you’re holding on to quarterbacks. Quarterbacks are currency, and if you see something out of a guy you like, you hold on to him.”
The idea of quarterbacks being currency is correct. The Vikings aren’t going to give him away for nothing, but it doesn’t mean a trade is off the table. It could be off the table until McCarthy is deemed healthy, but a minor ankle injury could hinder that from coming to fruition.
This is the latest of a long line of injuries. McCarthy has played 13 preseason and regular season games. In those, he’s suffered six injuries, and that’s a problem. It’s one of the main reasons why he isn’t the starting quarterback.
This will be worth monitoring over the course of the next few weeks, as McCarthy’s future will be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
