The Minnesota Vikings announced today that quarterback Carson Wentz will have shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the 2025 season. Entering Thursday night’s game against the San Diego Chargers, Wentz was already experiencing some discomfort in his left non-throwing shoulder.

And even though Minnesota lost 37-10 in a game they were never in, the Vikings left him in the lineup until the waning minutes of the contest. He was hit one last time as he crumbled to the turf, wincing in pain. As it turns out, not only was his game over, but his season was too.

Wentz was Mauled

Wentz was playing behind an injury-ridden offensive line that was already missing three starters. He was sacked five times by the Chargers, but that only tells part of the story. He was continually harassed, hurried, and hit by the San Diego front seven, who could pin their ears back knowing that the struggling Vikings would be passing on almost every down. Wentz’s play has been up and down since he replaced injured starter J.J. McCarthy in the Week 2 loss against the Atlanta Falcons.

But there is no questioning the courage and perseverance he displayed, even when the game was hopelessly out of reach. He was in considerable pain even before the game started, but he shook it off, knowing that McCarthy was not yet ready to go. He grimaced from the pain in his shoulder throughout the game, and his jersey was torn to shreds due to the constant assault by the Chargers’ pass rush. After a fourth-quarter hit that ended a Vikings drive, Wentz threw his helmet at the bench in frustration and was later seen covering his face with a towel.

O’Connell Defends Decision to Keep Wentz in Game

After the game, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell defended his decision to keep Wentz in the lopsided game. He explained his decision this way.

“We kept on checking in [with Wentz]. Maybe getting Max [Brosmer] ready to go. Tyler [vice president of player health and performance, Tyler Williams] was coming to me a lot tonight, but every time he seemed to update me on that. Carson was sore going into it. He took obviously quite a few hits—but he was able to—I asked him multiple times where he was at and he said he was good and wanted to keep going. It did seem like he was in pain there a couple times.”

Rookie undrafted free agent quarterback Max Brosmer came in for the injured Wentz after the two-minute warning and completed three of his four pass attempts. Many people at the game and watching on television wondered why the change hadn’t occurred earlier.

McCarthy’s Back

O’Connell just named McCarthy the starter for next week’s game against the Detroit Lions. Serious questions remain about the second-year player’s ability after a rocky start to the season. As the Vikings watch their once-promising season slip away, they can only hope that McCarthy will remain upright through the remaining games to build some trust and momentum for 2026.