The Minnesota Vikings on Monday announced major injury news regarding quarterback Carson Wentz.
Wentz needs season-ending surgery on his left shoulder. The Vikings are placing him on injured reserve, and will turn back to JJ McCarthy going forward.
Wentz actually suffered the injury two weeks ago against the Cleveland Browns, meaning he played through it for nearly two entire games and won one of them.
Carson Wentz first injured the left shoulder on a big hit by #Browns rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger in London. Wentz came back to beat the #Browns on an epic 80-yard TD drive at the end https://t.co/9kUdQgSvga
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 27, 2025
Wentz was clearly playing through immense pain during Thursday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and this goes a long way toward explaining why he was so ineffective. He went went 14/23 for just 144 passing yards and took five sacks, which undoubtedly did not help his shoulder. At one point, he was wincing in discomfort on the sideline, which drew criticism from Kirk Herbstreit.
The Vikings might have already been moving back toward starting McCarthy anyway. Many were surprised that he did not get a shot on Thursday with how poorly Wentz was playing, and it led to questions about whether McCarthy had been quietly benched by the team.
Coach Kevin O’Connell has maintained McCarthy will start for the Vikings again once he is healthy. He pretty much has to be now with Wentz unavailable going forward.
