J.J. McCarthy feels the same way about his injury as every Vikings fan

The Minnesota Vikings parted ways with their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, this offseason as Cousins took a new deal with the Atlanta Falcons. In reaction to this, Minnesota drafted Michigan quarterback, J.J. McCarthy with their top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Vikings plan at the quarterback position became quite obvious after this. Sam Darnold and Nick Mullins would work as temporary options until McCarthy was ready. This was evident in the preseason depth charts.

That was until McCarthy complained of some knee soreness, where an MRI revealed he had a tear in his meniscus. After a few different opinions, McCarthy ended up getting full reconstructive surgery on the knee, ending his 2024 season before it could even get started.

This was quite the punch in the gut to the Vikings organization, the front office, the coaching staff and the entire fanbase that was looking forward to watching McCarthy take over as the signal caller for the team.

But even more so, this was a punch in the gut, or dare I say, a kick in the balls, to the rookie signal caller himself, J.J. McCarthy.

J.J. McCarthy speaks the honest truth that Vikings fans could relate to when asked about his injury

The rookie signal caller was recently asked about his knee injury, a few weeks after it happened. He's now had time to sit back, take a minute and react to the whole thing with more of a clear head. Still, he sounds like just about every Vikings fan when asked about it.

“It’s tough. A kick in the balls. But you take everything life throws at you and look at the positive," McCarthy said.

And it's hard to blame McCarthy. He's a born winner than has come through life doing nothing but win. He won in high school, went into college as a five-star quarterback before winning there with Michigan too. Ultimately, he went undefeated and won the National Championship the last time he took the field.

Adversity is something that everybody deals with, but it's something that McCarthy overcomes pretty well. This injury should be no different. If anything, he could gain a new hunger and appreciation for his health when he returns.

Either way, the Vikings will be without him for the entire season. He wasn't expected to start right away, but he was definitely going to be their guy down the stretch and he definitely looks like their guy of the future.

Losing him is exactly what McCarthy says it is: A kick in the balls.