J.J. McCarthy News: No issues with knee

McCarthy has been participating in spring practices without any issues in his surgically repaired knee, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Coming back from a meniscus tear suffered last summer, McCarthy resumed on-field work in January, setting him up for a normal offseason. As expected, he had no limitations during OTAs and then passed his physical at the start of June minicamp. With Sam Howell and Brett Rypien being the veteran quarterbacks on Minnesota's roster, McCarthy doesn't appear to have any competition for the Week 1 starting job. He's in a great situation under coach Kevin O'Connell, throwing passes to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson while playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the league. McCarthy also offers more running ability that Sam Darnold, who threw for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 TDs in Minnesota during the 2024 regular season.