EAGAN, Minn. — How is Carson Wentz doing? The question made him laugh.
“Fine,” the 32-year-old Wentz said Wednesday. “It’s been an interesting couple of weeks.”
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback met with reporters for the first time since the news surfaced that he will undergo surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. The team placed him on injured reserve. Wentz’s season is over.
Minnesota will turn the reins back over to second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who will start Sunday’s game in Detroit against the Lions. His performance will warrant a microscopic evaluation. But so does the arc of how Wentz and the Vikings arrived at this juncture, especially after Thursday night’s debacle against the Chargers in Los Angeles.
It was a jarring game. Wentz, who entered the Week 8 matchup with the Chargers with what had been reported as a serious left shoulder injury, took a beating. He was playing behind a decimated offensive line. He wore a supersized harness on his shoulder. Nearly every time he was hit or went down, he winced and cringed and once even returned to the sideline and tossed his helmet.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell did not pull him from the game, even with the Vikings trailing 34-10 with 6:23 remaining. On Wednesday, Wentz referred to what he called “public backlash” to O’Connell’s decision and said he thinks it’s “kind of crazy.”
Wentz took a calculated gamble playing against the Chargers with his left shoulder already compromised. He was sacked five times. (Harry How / Getty Images)
“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Wentz said. “I’m not an idiot. I knew what I was signing up for when going out there. Nobody was forcing me, pressuring me.”
The subject dominated O’Connell’s weekly news conference Wednesday, too.
“There is a level, as the coach, where your responsibility — as much as I care for these players, and the relationships I’ve built with these players — that’s always there,” O’Connell said. “But at the same time, if the medical staff is giving you information, and the player is giving you information to confirm that, it becomes a football decision at that point to go along with what’s in the best interest of the health of the player. And we went into this thing knowing it was going to be a pain-tolerance situation, and he would be able to play through it.”
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— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 29, 2025
The backstory is also relevant. Wentz sustained a shoulder injury in the first half of the Week 5 game against the Cleveland Browns in London. The Vikings’ medical staff cleared him to return in that game, and Wentz orchestrated a game-winning drive.
Following the team’s return home from overseas, Wentz underwent further evaluation. Both the team doctors and renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache offered their diagnoses. Wentz learned that he’d suffered a dislocation that had torn the labrum off his left shoulder and fractured the socket.
Surgery was always going to be necessary for a full recovery, according to Wentz. The bye week allowed him to weigh his options. Eventually, believing he could help the Vikings win and wanting to enjoy the opportunity he’d gotten to start meaningful games, Wentz opted to play through the pain. Minnesota, navigating other injury circumstances with McCarthy’s high-ankle sprain (and having only one other rostered quarterback in undrafted rookie Max Brosmer), went along with Wentz’s wishes.
The Vikings did not add another veteran quarterback to cover for Wentz in the event the soreness became too intense. At the same time, even though Brosmer was the backup, the team did not want to put him in a difficult in-game position, given his potential and future value. Additionally, had Brosmer been thrown into the fire, McCarthy, the emergency No. 3 quarterback, would have been one injury away from having to play.
“We’re always going to try to make sure we can realistically do whatever we can,” O’Connell said. “But the unique factor (is that) our plane left to go to Los Angeles (last) Wednesday at about 1 p.m. You’re trying to gauge where J.J. is at. We worked him out Tuesday morning. You start to see the timeline (for the quarterbacks), and that’s much more than just adding somebody here locally that can just hop in the car and get here in a few minutes.”
The previous week, Wentz had thrown for 313 yards on 26-of-42 passing against the Eagles. He also threw two interceptions. He admitted Wednesday that the torn labrum had been bothering him “a little bit, but it was bearable.” Given the short week, management of the shoulder for the Chargers game was more difficult.
He pushed to play, believing that his availability would prevent the Vikings from putting McCarthy or Brosmer in a compromised position. The Vikings stuck to the plan.
Not having left tackle Christian Darrisaw or right tackle Brian O’Neill created an onslaught of pressure from all sides. Wentz was sacked five times and hit three more. His discomfort throughout the night solidified the decision to undergo the surgery and end his season.
“It’s weird being done this early in the season,” Wentz said. “I’ve been on IR a couple of different times, but never this early. So, it’s a bummer.”
Wentz frequently praised the lines of communication among himself, O’Connell and the Vikings training staff. O’Connell said the team supported Wentz’s choice to repair the torn labrum now. His absence sets the stage for a pivotal period with McCarthy at the helm.
The Vikings will use this time to evaluate the 22-year-old’s progress. He recently watched the film of the first two games with O’Connell, and he said he feels fully healthy to utilize his mobility as a weapon. Any additional injury, and Brosmer, who has impressed behind the scenes since he arrived, will likely get a look.
Minnesota also added veteran quarterback John Wolford to the practice squad. He has experience with O’Connell dating to their shared time with the Los Angeles Rams. Granted, needing his services is a last-resort scenario. How this season will be remembered — and how the Vikings navigate their future at the game’s most important position — hinges on what’s about to happen.
