EAGAN, Minn. — How can an NFL player sustain a season-ending injury without knowing it? Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy explained that fact and more Friday in his first interview since undergoing surgery to repair a radial meniscus tear in his right knee.

McCarthy told a group of local reporters that he didn’t realize his injury until the morning after his promising season debut on Aug. 10 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The knee gave way as he walked down the stairs at home, and the next day the pain was so severe that he had to report it to team medical officials.

The resulting whirlwind was “a kick in the balls,” McCarthy said with a wry smile, but ultimately unavoidable.

“I just wanted to play it safe and play the long game and realize I can be a tough guy and hang on and try to get through my first start (the following week),” said McCarthy, who sat in a chair with his right knee immobilized by a brace and an electric scooter parked nearby. “But at the end of the day, it’s best for this organization and this team if I make smart decisions, especially early in my career.

“And that was one of the reasons to find out before a landmine exploded in my knee.”

The Vikings placed him on the injured list shortly afterward, which not only ended his season but also barred him from participating in practice at any point this season, per NFL rules. He is in the midst of a nearly complete six-week immobilization period during which doctors instruct him to avoid any strenuous exercise or sudden movements and to use either crutches or a scooter.

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— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) 6 September 2024

McCarthy was seen riding the scooter through the hallways of the Vikings’ sprawling TCO Performance Center, at one point colliding with the doorframe surrounding coach Kevin O’Connell’s office. (McCarthy insisted the accident only caused “a small chip of paint.”)

McCarthy became serious, saying he could not yet say exactly which play caused the injury and that “adrenaline” propelled him through his 188-yard, two-touchdown performance in 30 plays.

He said he was “extremely shocked” when he learned after an MRI scan that the pain was a serious injury. When he awoke from anesthesia on August 14 and learned that Dr. Chris Larson had opted for a full repair rather than a follow-up procedure, McCarthy admitted to using a few curse words in the recovery room.

Eventually his mood became more hopeful.

“There are a lot of different ways to discover the really amazing things that we overlook in life at times like this,” McCarthy said, “because just the ability to walk is such a blessing, and I only know that when I don’t have it. So I’ve just been through things like that.”

During a team dinner hosted by linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, McCarthy chatted with backup offensive lineman David Quessenberry. Quessenberry said he, too, missed his rookie season because of a foot injury and advised him to consider 2024 as a redshirt season.

The resulting mindset, McCarthy said Friday, was to “solidify what it’s like to get through the week and have the advantage of not having the pressure to perform on Sunday. Then when I play, whenever that will be, next year, the year after that, whenever it will be, I’ll be ready and it won’t be like this is my first game.”

To that end, McCarthy attends team meetings and has a weekly one-on-one session with O’Connell. The Vikings will eventually use virtual reality technology to give him lifelike reps, and they will also give him access to a camera they’ve attached to starting quarterback Sam Darnold’s helmet during practices.

“I want to see him,” O’Connell said. “I want his teammates to see him every day. I want him to be in meetings. I’m going to … make sure I can challenge him personally as far as his ownership of the game plans, what the why is behind the things we do, what his game intentions are, and make sure he continues to play a major role in terms of leadership, especially with this young rookie class. …

“I want JJ ​​to feel like he’s supporting Sam, a part of the quarterback room … that culture of that quarterback room. At the same time, it’s about the bigger picture: making sure we don’t waste a moment where we know there could be growth and development and that we really continue the positive momentum that I think a lot of us saw in training camp before the injury.”