Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell had a close seat along the sidelines on Sunday as his team lost 37-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, October 25.
O’Connell watched as his Carson Wentz gutted it out against a Chargers defense that rushed his quarterback a lot.
What Happened To Vikings QB Carson Wentz?
During the game, Wentz, who was on the field instead of injured regular starter J.J. McCarthy, favored his left, non-throwing shoulder. It became even more apparent that, when Wentz was hit, the injury was much more than a little thing.
On Monday, the Vikings informed their fans, along with NFL fans, that Wentz will miss the rest of the 2025 NFL season. He’s going to get season-ending surgery on that injured left shoulder.
#Vikings QB Carson Wentz will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, sources tell The Insiders. Wentz battled through the injury in last week’s game against the #Chargers but after further evaluation, a procedure was deemed necessary. pic.twitter.com/kV5IBllrPn
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 27, 2025
Numerous times when Wentz was hit by a Chargers defender, he was shown wincing in pain. The veteran quarterback was toughing it out and trying his best to lead the Vikings’ offense on the field. But it became even more apparent that Wentz just couldn’t last for the entire 60 minutes.
“Vikings QB Carson Wentz will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, sources tell The Insiders,” NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Monday. “Wentz battled through the injury in last week’s game against the Chargers but after further evaluation, a procedure was deemed necessary.”
For a little more background on when Wentz suffered his injured shoulder, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport posted on X also on Monday: “Details on Carson Wentz: In the first half of the London game, Wentz suffered a dislocation that tore his labrum and fractured the socket, per The Insiders,” Rapoport reported.
“He gutted out 2.5 more games for the Vikings with a big stabilizing brace, while JJ McCarthy (high-ankle) recovered,” Rapoport said.
Wentz finished the Chargers game on “Thursday Night Football” by going 15-of-27 passing for 144 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. O’Connell eventually had to turn to Max Brosmer to finish out the Chargers game.
Based on PFSN’s QB Impact metric, Wentz is the 17th-ranked quarterback in the league. He has an impact score of 77.8 and is graded C+.
McCarthy is due back in his starting role for the Vikings. It’s a tough loss for the Vikings, who might be in the market now for an additional quarterback. Wentz finishes the season with 1,216 yards passing, six touchdown passes, and five interceptions.
At this point in his NFL career, Wentz might face questions about his durability even though he played decent for the Vikings.
