Perhaps the defining component of J.J. McCarthy‘s NFL career has been injury. That central facet of his pro career has contributed to a pile of issues, inconsistent play foremost among them.

Is that going to change? The Vikings certainly hope so.

Sometimes, the focus within the conversation surrounding McCarthy has been reasonably general in its assessment of the kid’s health problems. He’s just injury prone. Taking a step back to get a tiny bit more specific can be helpful. Scroll down to see a goofy visual to offer a reminder of what he hurt, where he got hurt, and the time missed.

The J.J. McCarthy Injuries Across 2024 & 2025

Get right into it. The visual made by yours truly:

Allow me to begin by talking directly to all medical doctors, those with computer skills, and none other than J.J. McCarthy: I send an apology for this visual. The point above is to function as a reminder of what his injuries have been alongside the time missed.

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In particular, that right side has been a problem. Nobody wants any other injuries to arise for the Michigan man. If they do, the first question will be if it’s along the right side of his body.

A sneaky detail to remember is that he has had the first normal offseason for the first time in a couple years.

Turning the clock back to 2024 would mean recognizing that he was preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft. The Combine isn’t totally detached from real football but it’s not the same. Worse, he had the knee injury after impressing in his debut NFL preseason game.

Last year, McCarthy was coming off that injury. He was also being tasked with fixing his wonky mechanics. And then Week 2 arrived. He missed practice time due to the birth of his child — reasonable — and then got walloped in that Falcons game. His ankle sprain led to missing five games afterwards.

His two full seasons in the NFL should have involved thirty-four games. He has played in just ten, missing time within some of those ten games.

J.J. McCarthy is 23.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.