JJ McCarthy injury sends message to the Patriots about Drake Maye
Jerod Mayo and the Patriots have been painstakingly criticized over the past week for their decision to have Drake Maye play just one series in their preseason opener against the Panthers. It was an unexpected move by the team since the belief is that the rookie will be the future starter, and despite Mayo's best efforts to explain his thought process, the scrutiny continues.
The expectation for their matchup with the Eagles on Thursday is Maye will see a lot more time on the field, at least according to Mayo. The weather isn't expected to be much better this week than in Week 1, so it might not be a great showing for the quarterback, regardless.
Maye's limited availability became even more of a hot topic over the weekend, as every other top rookie quarterback saw significantly more snaps in their preseason debuts. On top of that, they performed seemingly better than Maye, which made the calls for Joe Milton III to be the guy even louder.
But the latest news surrounding the Vikings first-round pick, JJ McCarthy, proves Mayo made the right call to limit Maye in his preseason action, something more teams might consider as the regular season nears.
JJ McCarthy's injury proves Jerod Mayo made the right decision with Drake Maye
No matter what side of the issue you're on regarding Maye's minimal playing time last week, hearing fellow rookie McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus that will require surgery validates Mayo's decision to limit the quarterback more than every other team.
The Vikings will now be without their presumed starter for several weeks, forcing him to miss the beginning of the 2024 season, a situation that the Patriots are fortunate to avoid.
#Vikings QB JJ McCarthy missed practice with knee soreness and tests revealed a meniscus issue that he’ll undergo surgery for, per me and @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/2WSxVdaOtX
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 13, 2024
Although Jacoby Brissett has been named the starter in New England, avoiding potential injury to Maye, especially during unfavorable weather, looks like an even better move by the team.
It might not be what many fans want, as they have made it clear they want to see Maye under center as much as possible, but the unfortunate news about McCarthy might make it easier to accept seeing Maye on the bench more over the next few weeks.
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