Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is expected to return “fitter, faster, and stronger” than before after unexpectedly undergoing another medical procedure to address his torn meniscus.

Having been selected by the Vikings with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in his preseason debut. He underwent surgery on Aug. 14, prompting Minnesota to place him on injured reserve, ending his rookie season before it even began.

However, earlier this week, McCarthy underwent an unanticipated second procedure on his right knee to assist his meniscus recovery. The procedure culminated in a biologic injection intended to address swelling in the knee that developed due to the increase in activity throughout the rehabilitation process.

Medical officials found no concerns, so there have been no changes to McCarthy’s recovery timetable. Renowned surgeon Dr. Kevin Stone – who’s served as a physician for the U.S. ski team – believes that, if his knee was fully healthy when the former Michigan stud had the injection, McCarthy could return to NFL action a more physically improved specimen than he was before.

“We want people to come back, as we say, fitter, faster, and stronger than they were before they got hurt, and that means we start our fitness training on day one after surgery while protecting the repetitive tissue,” Dr. Stone exclusively told Mirror US Sport. The orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert also outlined what a biological injection actually means.

“When we do a meniscus repair today, we always release the body’s own stem cells from the bone marrow to augment the meniscus repair in order to help it heal,” Dr. Stone continued. “Then, often a month or two later, we will add growth factors, usually from their own blood called PRP, to help speed the healing along. So that’s our normal protocol for torn meniscus tissue, especially in athletes.”

He explained what the biological injection consists of, adding: “Within your own body, within your own blood, you have something called platelets, and those platelets carry packets of growth factors, and the growth factors are anabolic, meaning they stimulate healing.

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The news of J.J. McCarthy's second procedure caught Vikings fans off guard

The news of J.J. McCarthy’s second procedure caught Vikings fans off guard ( 

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“We can sew the meniscus together and induce some bleeding and get marrow cells to help the healing on day one – but then on day 30 or day 60, we can add to that healing by adding an anabolic, a stimulant, to help the healing along.”

McCarthy underwent the procedure to deal with swelling that had arisen in his knee following the original surgery three months ago. Dr. Stone clarified swelling is a natural part of the rehabilitation process, which may ease any concerns Vikings fans harbor.

“[Swelling is] quite common, and we combat it with these injections because the injections are potently anti-inflammatory, anabolic, anti-fibrotic, meaning they decrease scar tissue formation and what we call immunomodulatory, meaning they affect the immune system to help the healing,” Dr. Stone said. “So when patients are having swelling after surgery, one of the tools we use today to shut down some of that swelling is these anabolic or growth factor injections.”

McCarthy is set to return fully healthy and back to his best by the start of offseason training camps ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Dr. Stone suggested it takes around three months for a torn meniscus to heal but is hopeful the biological injection the Vikings quarterback has taken can accelerate that timeline. This means McCarthy could be a healthy scratch far before OTAs get underway.

In his lone appearance in preseason this year, McCarthy was 11-of-17 passing for 188 yards, with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. With Sam Darnold steadying the ship for the 7-2 Vikings, fans will have to wait until the 2025 season to see what the quarterback – who went 27-1 during his time at Michigan – is fully capable of.