Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz, who has started the past five games while J.J. McCarthy recovers from an ankle sprain, will miss the rest of the season.
Wentz will have surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed, and was put on injured reserve Monday. The 32-year-old veteran suffered the injury against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 5 in London.
He wore a bulky apparatus to protect the shoulder in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night and said afterward he had “never worn anything remotely close to” it.
Wentz appeared in great pain several times throughout the game at Los Angeles. He was sacked five times and said after the game that it was “quite possibly” the worst pain he has played through in his professional career, but he maintained that he believed he could still contribute despite it.
“I asked him multiple times where he was at,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said after Thursday’s game, also noting Wentz had soreness coming into the game off the short week of recovery. “He said he was good and wanted to keep going. It did seem like he was in pain there a couple of times, a few times.”
Wentz completed 110 passes out of 169 attempts for 1,216 yards and six touchdowns with five interceptions this season. He was sacked 19 times. The Vikings have also faced injury trouble on their offensive line. Against the Chargers, they were missing both starting tackles.
The Vikings play at Detroit on Sunday. On Monday, they claimed tight end Ben Sims off waivers from Green Bay. Sims started his career with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent in 2023 but was waived during final cuts after training camp. He has appeared in 37 games for the Packers, including six starts, and has eight catches for 63 yards.
McCarthy and rookie Max Brosmer were both at practice Monday, which was a bonus practice for the Vikings off their mini-bye after the Thursday night game. McCarthy, who was injured against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, returned to practice two weeks ago before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles but has yet to be marked as a full participant in any practice session.
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