As Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz will have season-ending shoulder surgery, it adds another injury to the position, as he originally filled in for J.J. McCarthy. While Wentz played through a lot of pain for the Vikings in recent games, head coach Kevin O'Connell provides insight into the veteran quarterback wanting to continue.
According to Kevin Seifert, O'Connell said on a radio show, KFAN1003, that Wentz “repeatedly” said to the head coach that he desired to keep playing “as long as he possibly could.”
“Kevin O'Connell insisted that Carson Wentz told him repeatedly that he wanted to play as long as he possibly could after injuring his left shoulder,” Seifert wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “It had been a while since he had played meaningful games. Per O'Connell, Wentz decided Friday morning it was time to have surgery.”
While some might say that Wentz continuing to play through pain is damaging, O'Connell would negate that notion.
“There was never a point in time where, medically, we were going against the grain of what was in Carson's best interest and ultimately what Carson wanted to kind of see through,” O'Connell said.
Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz
With the Vikings hoping to see McCarthy return after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers last Thursday, Wentz had been hoping to keep the ship afloat, but he first got hurt earlier in the month. Reportedly, Wentz “has been playing through a dislocated shoulder that included a torn labrum and fractured socket,” according to ESPN.
“The pain is pain,” Wentz said. “I felt like I could still help this team and find a way to go down and score and all that stuff. So, we knew that coming into the game, that it was going to be part of it. And again, that's the tough part of Thursday night games. [You] just don't quite get the chance to recover, but that's no excuse by any means.”
Wentz had thrown for 1,216 yards to go along with six touchdowns and five interceptions, but now is sidelined for the rest of the slate, looking for a full recovery.
At any rate, Minnesota currently has a 3-4 record, which puts the team last in the NFC North, as now that Wentz is done for the season, McCarthy's return would be apt if plausible. If not, the other quarterback on the roster is rookie Max Brosmer.
