Carson Wentz made it clear he was on board with the Minnesota Vikings’ decision to leave him in the team’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers despite dealing with a significant left shoulder injury.
Wentz, who will have season-ending surgery to repair a dislocated left shoulder that included a torn labrum and fractured socket, spoke to reporters on Oct. 29, telling them he ‘never once felt unsafe’ while struggling through the injury during a 37-10 Vikings loss.
‘This isn’t my first rodeo,’ Wentz said. ‘I’m not an idiot. I know what I was signing up for going out there. Nobody was forcing me, pressuring me, any of those things.’
‘Everybody’s handled this tremendously,’ Wentz added. ‘Communication’s been phenomenal from coaches, trainers, all the things. We knew what we were doing all along.’
The Vikings’ decision to leave Wentz in the game had fallen under scrutiny as the 32-year-old quarterback appeared to be in pain throughout the contest. On several occasions, he grimaced while holding his left arm, which was in a stabilizing brace meant to better protect his injured shoulder.
Despite this, Wentz remained in the game until Minnesota’s final offensive drive. The veteran quarterback explained that was his decision, and one he didn’t make lightly.
‘As a competitor, you never want to take yourself out,’ Wentz said. ‘No matter what you’re going through, it’s hard to remove yourself from the game.’
Wentz felt that was especially true considering he had served in a backup role over the previous two seasons, starting just two combined games from 2023-24 before signing with the Vikings.
‘I was a backup the last couple of years, so just being back in the role of starting meaningful football games – it’s fun. I’m not going to lie,’ Wentz explained. ‘It’s fun. It’s what I grew up dreaming of doing. And when you lose it for a little bit, it’s hard to want to give it up. So even with pain, and all the things that I knew were going to come with it was – I want to play. I want to be out there, and I want to be helping this team however I can.’
Still, Wentz knew his days as a starter were numbered. Not just by the imminent return of second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but also because the 32-year-old and the Vikings knew he eventually would need season-ending surgery to repair his injured left shoulder.
That was one of the reasons Wentz got emotional and slammed his helmet down after a turnover on downs late in the fourth quarter.
‘I think the frustration that you might have saw on the sideline was me knowing I’m probably not playing again this year,’ Wentz said. ‘So, there was a lot of emotions there mixed with the pain and all the things.’
In the end, Wentz acknowledged his pending season-ending surgery was the right decision for himself and the team.
‘I’m feeling good with the ultimate decision we made collectively,’ Wentz said. ‘It’s weird being done this early in the season. I’ve been on IR a couple of different times, but never this early.’
Now, Wentz will focus on welcoming the imminent arrival of his fourth daughter and getting healthy for the start of the 2026 NFL season.
All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.