Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy will miss the entire 2024 season because of the knee injury that he suffered during the team’s opening preseason game, Coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday.

McCarthy underwent surgery Wednesday for a meniscus tear in his right knee, O’Connell said at a news conference. The tear required a full repair, according to O’Connell, which will be followed by a months-long recovery process.

McCarthy suffered the injury during Saturday’s preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Minneapolis, according to the Vikings. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns during that game. McCarthy also threw an interception.

The Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in April’s draft after he helped Michigan to the College Football Playoff national championship last season. He was vying with veteran newcomer Sam Darnold for the Vikings’ starting job after the team lost Kirk Cousins via free agency to the Atlanta Falcons.

O’Connell said Wednesday that the Vikings believe McCarthy will return next season to become a franchise quarterback.

“It does get altered now,” O’Connell said. “But it’s still going to be something that we have a minute-to-minute feel for, maximizing who J.J. McCarthy is. And I can be confident in that because of who he is. And that’s the reason why we selected him and made sure that we got him.”

McCarthy’s recovery period would have been far shorter if doctors had determined that his meniscus tear had required only a trim.

Darnold is expected to be the team’s starter entering the season.

• Minnesota wide receiver Jordan Addison was taken off the field on a cart Wednesday with an ankle injury suffered while trying to make a catch against Cleveland’s first-team defense during a joint practice.

Addison, who had 70 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie last season, was treated on the field before being driven off for further treatment and evaluation.

RAMS: Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford came out of a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday early because of hamstring tightness, a team spokesman said.

Stafford missed approximately the second half of the workout, but the 36-year-old remained on the sideline in pads and did not show any apparent signs of injury during or after the two-hour session.

“(Stafford) operates at a world class level,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “But we know that every rep is going to be valuable for him, no matter how many plays he’s had. Unfortunately, he had some tightness.”

Jimmy Garoppolo worked with the first-team offense in Stafford’s absence, which is valuable because Garoppolo did not play in the preseason opener against the Cowboys on Sunday and is unlikely to do so in the two remaining exhibition games.

Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games of the regular season for a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.

49ERS: Star receiver Brandon Aiyuk was back out practice as a spectator as his contract hold in enters a fourth week still in search of a resolution.

Aiyuk skipped the entire offseason program and hasn’t practiced yet in training camp as he seeks either a long-term contract with San Francisco or a trade to a team that can agree with the receiver on a new deal and give the 49ers enough compensation to part with him.

Neither of those options has come to a resolution yet although an end may be getting closer with NFL Network reporting earlier this week that the Niners have a framework for a potential deal with Pittsburgh in place but are waiting to see if they can reach a deal with Aiyuk before making any trade.

RAVENS: Tight end Mark Andrews was in a car accident while driving to the team’s practice facility Wednesday but appeared uninjured, the team said.

Andrews was evaluated by medical staff at the facility and then attended morning meetings. He was already scheduled for a non-practice day Wednesday and is expected back soon.

“I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and well wishes,” Andrews said in a statement. “This is a great reminder about the importance of wearing seat belts and remaining alert while driving a car.”

LIONS: As a rookie last season, Gibbs rushed for 945 yards with 10 touchdowns along with 316 receiving yards and a score. After he was sidelined with a soft tissue injury in the spring, he had been healthy during training camp. The team called it a leg injury with ESPN reporting that it’s a hamstring.

“I think we’re going to be fine here, I think we’ll be good,” Campbell said in a radio interview on Wednesday, without offering specifics on the injuries.

Coach Dan Campbell does not seem concerned about the injury status of running back Jahmyr Gibbs or rookie cornerbacks Terrion Arnold (upper body) and Ennis Rakestraw (ankle), who also were injured on Monday. Gibbs, dressed in shorts, watched training camp from the sideline on Wednesday after he left practice earlier in the week with a leg injury.

BROWNS: Cleveland rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. got hurt in practice on Wednesday, one day after he was arrested and charged with domestic violence for allegedly putting a gun to his fiancee’s head during an argument.

The second-round pick from Ohio State was checked by trainers on the field before walking under his own power to the team’s facility for further examination. Hall went down during an 11-on-11 drill. Coach Kevin Stefanski had no details about Hall’s injury.

On Tuesday, Hall was arraigned in Avon Lake Municipal Court and pleaded not guilty to one count of domestic violence. He was released from jail after posting $10,000 bond.

• Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has received a three-year, $39 million contract extension following a Pro Bowl season.

A second-round pick in 2021 from Notre Dame, Owusu-Koramoah was entering the final year of his rookie deal. The sides had been working on an agreement throughout training camp and finalized it Wednesday.