Injured Vikings Passer Goes Under the Knife
Injured Vikings passer Carson Wentz shouldn’t ever pay for a drink in the Twin Cities ever again. Goodness, give him a free Juicy Lucy every time he has a craving for a burger. Yes, his play left something to be desired, but his willingness to take hits aplenty at well-below 100% health was simultaneously incredible and cruel.
Mr. Wentz got surgery to repair his shoulder. The plan, quite evidently, is to get back to full health in time for another backup assignment in 2026. Head coach Kevin O’Connell offered the brief update while chatting with the media on Wednesday: “Carson Wentz had successful left shoulder surgery yesterday in LA. Hope to get him, he’ll be out there for a few days, and then hope to get him back. He’s planning on being back in the building when he returns, continuing his rehab there.”
Injured Vikings Passer Has Surgery
A lifetime ago, Mr. Wentz was on track to become one of the next great NFL quarterbacks.
Chosen at No. 2 in the 2016 NFL Draft, Carson Wentz was going to become the Eagles’ franchise quarterback. He possesses ideal size at 6’5″ and roughly 240 pounds. Partner the build with some impressive athleticism — he ran a 4.77 forty, a very healthy time for a QB, let alone one at his size — and it’s easy to see why such a high draft selection got sunk into the North Dakota State passer.
A promising rookie season — one where he started sixteen games, completing 62.4% of his passes for 3,782 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions — gave way to a blistering sophomore season.
Indeed, Wentz’s second season was a magical ride…until a season-ending injury. Wentz got into thirteen games, completing 60.2% of his passes for 3,296 yards. There were 33 touchdown passes to partner with 7 interceptions. By the end of the season, Wentz had been named to the Pro Bowl, was a second-team All Pro, finished 3rd in MVP voting, and was a Super Bowl champion (albeit as someone on the sidelines while Nick Foles became a legend).
Wentz had the chance to continue putting in work for Philly, but things eventually devolved. Jalen Hurts took over as QB1 while the highly-picked quarterback became a journeyman.
Carson Wentz was a Colt in 2021 (playing with Ryan Kelly). There was then some time with the Washington Commanders in 2022 before putting in work for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. In 2024, Wentz worked behind Patrick Mahomes while soaking up wisdom from Andy Reid. The 2025 offseason was modest for the veteran before Minnesota brought him aboard in August.
All along, the plan has been to see J.J. McCarthy lead the Vikings, a young passer who has navigated injury concerns aplenty.
In fact, Wentz only got into the game due to McCarthy needing time in the infirmary. An ankle injury meant the sophomore had to work on getting healthy yet again. Wentz got catapulted into the lineup, doing quite well to begin. The Bengals came to town in Week 3 and got demolished, eviscerated, and smashed. Wentz didn’t have a blistering day, but he was solid while the rest of the team was elite.
That was the goal in the offseason. Build a team so formidable that a mere game manager could be good enough to dismantle a team with high-end talent in Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, and so on (though, in fairness, that’s a poorly-constructed roster).
The coming weeks would be up and down. Good and bad. Accordingly, the team record sat at 2-3 by the time Wentz (mercifully) got slid over to the IR as McCarthy got worked back onto the field.
On December 30th, Carson Wentz is going to turn 33. Normal people see that number as being quite youthful. Not so in the NFL. Creeping up into one’s 30s is a telltale sign that one’s football career is getting pretty close to its end. Wentz understands this reality as well as anyone.
Minnesota isn’t going to move on from J.J. McCarthy. What’s needed is sturdy depth. Max Brosmer appears to be part of the solution as an upside rookie who works very hard and who has a strong relationship with McCarthy. Building around those two isn’t the worst situation in the world even if both have much to prove.
What’s needed is a veteran who can shepherd the young fellas. Currently, John Wolford — affectionately called a “psycho” by Minnesota’s offensive coordinator — is offering this ability as an older passer who helps with the intellectual side of the game. Wentz over Wolford is a debate for a different day (which is to say nothing of the various other veterans who will venture into free agent flirtations in March of 2026), but the idea is nevertheless important: how will Minnesota support a young QB room moving forward?
Carson Wentz isn’t going to be a starter anytime soon. Getting healthy, though, could mean being a solid QB2. Maybe that job continues being open with the Vikings.
His 2025 season finished after completing 65.1% of his passes for 1,216 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.
