EAGAN — When JJ McCarthy woke up after meniscus surgery and found out he would be out for the entire season, he used words that could not be published on a family-friendly website. But even in the most frustrating circumstances, the Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback focused on the positives.

“You take everything life throws at you and you find the positives, good or bad,” McCarthy said. “I feel like I’ve been able to make deeper connections with my teammates and really take a step back and learn the offense in a more relaxed state of mind.”

McCarthy’s right leg, with a large brace attached, dangled over a chair as he spoke to Twin Cities reporters on Wednesday about his recovery from a torn meniscus in his preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders. He laid out his plan to put himself in the best possible position for the start of 2025 despite being in recovery mode for most of this season. That starts with understanding the day-to-day process of the NFL regular season for quarterbacks.

“The biggest learning curve is my routine during the week,” McCarthy said. “Let me just capture what it’s like to get through the week with the benefit of not having to perform on Sunday. By the time I play next year, I’ll be ready and it won’t be like my first game anymore. I’ll just focus on getting things together, whether it’s the third down list, defensive strategies in the red zone. It could be any situation and making a plan that helps me retain the information.”

The Vikings have a camera strapped to Sam Darnold’s helmet during practice so McCarthy can watch from the veteran quarterback’s perspective. He’ll be able to hear the call and put himself in Darnold’s shoes to get mental reps. Head coach Kevin O’Connell will also meet with him weekly to help him better understand the thought process behind the offense.

“We met yesterday for about 45 minutes before practice and JJ had some of those questions, ‘Hey, I heard you say this. What did you mean by that? With this look that we’re getting this week, why are they doing that? And what do we do as a result of that?'” O’Connell explained Friday. “And that’s really what I want. I want his mind to go to the why, how can he have ultimate clarity. Even if he doesn’t get the rep, he’s definitely going to see the game play, the adjustments that we make within the game, and then apply that to what he’s already learned within our offense, because I think he has a really good feel for our system already.”

McCarthy said he won’t be able to do anything for six weeks, the most important part of his recovery. So he’s riding his scooter around the TCO Performance Center, doing upper-body exercises with crutches and is currently reading three different books.

A key factor for the former Michigan star is how much he developed from the time he arrived with the Vikings as the 10th draft pick until he was injured.

“I felt like as camp went on, my confidence grew,” McCarthy said. “Yeah, I felt like I was ready to perform and help this team win in whatever way I could. Yeah, it sucks that you don’t get a chance to start a game or two before that decision is made, but you know what? It just happened, and you have to roll with the punches.”

McCarthy noted that he had mastered the new footwork he had to learn for O’Connell’s attack so well that it became “instinctive” and he began to fully understand the rules of the game.

“It slows you down when you’re not thinking about a million things or how to call the play,” McCarthy said. “All those little things that I worked on over the summer really paid off as camp went on.”

The results of the training camp leading up to the exhibition game against the Raiders and then his performance of 188 yards and two touchdowns against Las Vegas at US Bank Stadium confirmed the progress he has made in a short time.

McCarthy described his senior year as a “roller coaster.” That’s an understatement considering how last season went for his college team and then the arduous pre-draft process.

“A lot of learning moments, a lot of experiences that I can put on my tool belt and that will help me get through these times,” McCarthy said. “I’m just thankful for everything that’s happened to me, good or bad. I’m excited to see what the future holds because there’s something special brewing in this building, and I believe Coach O’Connell when he says that because I’m excited to see how these guys go on Sunday.”

It’s only been a few weeks since McCarthy tore his meniscus, but the Vikings head coach said he appreciates his approach to continuing to improve in every way possible.

“I just like his attitude,” O’Connell said. “I like the way he’s not feeling sorry for himself. He’s frustrated that it happened. But at the same time, he’s going to do what he’s always done since he’s been here, laser-focus on what I can control.”