Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz is set to undergo season-ending surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, multiple league sources told The Athletic on Monday. Wentz will be placed on injured reserve.
J.J. McCarthy, who began the season as the Vikings’ starter and who has missed the last six games with a high ankle sprain, is expected to play Sunday in Detroit against the Lions. The only backup remaining on the Minnesota roster is undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
Wentz played multiple games with the injury. Last Thursday, facing the Chargers in Los Angeles, the carnage finally caught up to him. Wearing a bulky harness, Wentz was sacked five times and visibly grimaced after hits. He keeled over on the sideline. Coach Kevin O’Connell left him in the game until the final drive, when Brosmer took over.
“We kept on checking in and maybe getting Max ready to go,” O’Connell said after the game. “(Executive director of player health) Tyler Williams was coming to me a lot, and every time he seemed to update me on that. Carson was sore going into it. He took quite a few hits, but I asked him multiple times where he was at. He said he was good and wanted to keep going.”
Wentz said after the game that it’s possible he’d never experienced a comparable level of pain during a game. Afterward, when asked whether it would be sustainable to continue to play through the injury, he said, “I don’t know yet. It’s a week-by-week, day-by-day thing right now.”
The Vikings signed Wentz two weeks before the season, once the staff deemed Sam Howell — whom they had acquired in the spring — not to be a suitable backup for McCarthy. Wentz won his first start in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, then lost the next game in Dublin against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following that performance, he was unable to play golf with his teammates in London because of his injuries. He led the Vikings to a comeback win in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns, then lost the last two games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Chargers.
Now, the Vikings will likely turn back to McCarthy, who has only played in two of 24 regular-season games since he was drafted with the No. 10 pick in 2024. O’Connell and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown have spent considerable time with McCarthy in recent weeks. They’ve wanted to troubleshoot some of his mechanics to give him the best chance at success. His return is likely to come against the Lions, one of the better defenses in the NFL.
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