Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after deciding to undergo surgery on his left shoulder, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero. Things took a turn for the worse on Thursday Night Football for the Minnesota Vikings QB, who has been battling the shoulder injury for weeks. Getting sidelined for the rest of the season will put Wentz's NFL future in jeopardy.
Carson Wentz's Season-Ending Injury Jeopardizes NFL Future
Wentz has been starting in place of J.J. McCarthy, who has been dealing with an ankle sprain, for the past five games. The veteran signal-caller was gutting it out by wearing a harness to protect him, but the five sacks he took against the Chargers on Thursday proved to be too much. The sight of him grimacing in pain bowled over on the sideline has now been etched into the memory of all football fans, who presumably questioned why the team was keeping him out there. Wentz later said that he never experienced the type of pain he felt during that game.
The 32-year-old QB led the Vikings to a 2-3 record, with a 65.1% completion rate, six touchdowns, five interceptions, and an 85.8 passer rating. Considering how he spent most of the offseason unsigned until two weeks before the start of the regular season, one can argue that Wentz's performance was better than expected.
At the same time, that is perhaps more about the expectations from him rather than his performance on the field. Wentz has struggled immensely as a QB2 in his previous spots, including with the Chiefs, resulting in his inability to stick with the same franchise for two seasons in a row. In fact, he became the first QB ever to start for six different teams in six years.
Chiefs fans remember Wentz from his lone start in the regular season finale last season, when the offense was shut out in a disastrous performance and a 38-0 loss to the Broncos. That likely led to the lack of offseason interest for him until the Vikings decided that Sam Howell wasn't their guy.
Upon his return next season, Wentz could still sign with a team. However, getting an active roster spot and being trusted in a QB2 role seems far-fetched. Wentz has made over $132 million in career earnings, and the idea of landing on a practice squad at age 33 may understandably not appeal to him, leading many to believe that we may have seen the last of Wentz in the NFL.