Vikings Officially Place J.J. McCarthy On Injured Reserve, Sign QB Matt Corral

The Minnesota Vikings announced they officially placed rookie QB J.J. McCarthy on injured reserve and signed QB Matt Corral in a corresponding move. 

The #Vikings have signed QB Matt Corral and placed QB J.J. McCarthy on IR. pic.twitter.com/FgYh4Q4rxs

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 16, 2024

This will ultimately put an end to McCarthy’s rookie season before it even began after undergoing a full repair of his torn meniscus earlier this week. 

McCarthy had just had an impressive preseason debut which led to speculation he could end up as the starter sooner rather than later. This injury, however, halted his rookie campaign.

For Corral, he gets his first opportunity back in the NFL since joining the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL. 

McCarthy, 21, led Michigan to a National Championship in 2023 and was named first-team All-Big Ten. The Vikings used the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 draft on McCarthy. 

The No. 10 overall pick is projected to sign a four-year, $21,384,200 contract that includes a $12,372,146 signing bonus and will carry a $3,888,036 cap figure for the 2024 season. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028. 

During his time at Michigan, McCarthy started 28 of 40 games, completing 67.6% of his passes for 6,226 yards and 49 touchdowns, adding 632 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

Corral, 25, is a former third-round pick by the Panthers in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was entering the second year of a four-year, $5.094 million deal that included a signing bonus of $884,904. when he was among Carolina’s final roster cuts coming out of the preseason

Corral wound up being claimed by the Patriots. New England was set to waive Corral before placing him on the exempt/left squad list, then later waived him from the list. He was set to sign with the Patriots’ practice squad in September but a deal never came together. 

He has yet to appear in an NFL game, missing his entire rookie year with a Lisfranc injury. He caught on with the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL back in February. 

During his four-year college career, Corral completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 8,281 yards (9.1 YPA), 57 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions in 37 games. He also added 334 rush attempts for 1,338 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.