Jets bust can provide hope to Vikings fans concerned about J.J. McCarthy injury

Let's just get this out of the way immediately before anyone gets the wrong idea. Former New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and current Minnesota Vikings rookie signal-caller J.J. McCarthy are nowhere close to being comparable when it comes to on-field skill.

Wilson is just the most recent notable NFL quarterback to suffer an injury that is similar to the one McCarthy is currently dealing with, so his recovery timeline is something that could provide insight to those who are wondering how long the Vikings rookie might be sidelined.

So, back in the 2022 preseason, Wilson, who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos, suffered a non-contact knee injury during the Jets' first exhibition matchup of the year. Tests following the contest revealed that his injury turned out to be a torn meniscus and a bone bruise.

After undergoing a surgical trim on his meniscus, Wilson was expected to miss anywhere from two to four weeks of on-field action. New York actually ended up keeping him sidelined for six weeks, and after returning in Week 4 of the regular season, he wound up playing in a total of nine games during the 2022 campaign.

What the Minnesota Vikings and J.J. McCarthy can learn from former New York Jets QB Zach

A number of different possible recovery timelines have already been shared ever since it was revealed on Tuesday that McCarthy's injury will require surgery.

Depending on what the doctors find during his upcoming surgery, McCarthy could only need a few weeks to recover before he's back taking reps out on the practice field. Or if his injury turns out to be pretty serious, then Minnesota might keep him out of action for the entire 2024 regular season.

Sometimes, a torn meniscus is an easy fix, and other times it's not. The severity of the injury is really unknown until doctors begin surgery on the injured knee.

So, until McCarthy undergoes his upcoming surgery, Vikings fans will just have to wait and hope that his injury turns out to truly be similar to the one Wilson dealt with in 2022.

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