Carson Wentz’s 2025 NFL season has come to an end, leaving the Minnesota Vikings in a tough spot with their veteran quarterback sidelined. Wentz is scheduled for surgery to address a left shoulder injury he sustained on October 5 while stepping in for the team’s injured starter, J.J. McCarthy, according to ESPN.
McCarthy is expected to return as the starting quarterback when the Vikings take on the Detroit Lions on November 2. With Wentz on injured reserve, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer remains the only backup currently on the roster.
As a result, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio believes it’s time to sink or swim for McCarthy, as there’s no veteran safety net for the Vikings. Last season, Minnesota had Sam Darnold, and this campaign, they had Wentz, but with him gone, all eyes are on the second-year quarterback.
“It’s time to see what J.J. McCarthy can do or not do,” Florio said on the October 28 edition of “Pro Football Talk.” “Let’s just see. You got to figure it out because if you made a mistake, you got to do what the Colts did and admit it. You still have J.J. McCarthy under contract for two more years. I’m not suggesting cutting him, but you go find a Daniel Jones and you try not to obsess over the fact that you had Daniel Jones and you let him get away.”
The Vikings’ QB Situation Is Worrying
Even with the second-year quarterback back, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson thinks Minnesota are in a tough spot if they hope to turn their season around and make a playoff push.
“I will say this: Kevin O’Connell is incredibly patient,“ Wilson said on the October 27 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.“ “He’s spoken on the record about giving young quarterbacks time. But if J.J.’s not healthy, he’s not healthy.
“And I do know that they like Max Brosmer a lot, the undrafted free agent out of Minnesota who had played previously at the University of New Hampshire. So, they have options. They are young options with very little experience. It’s a completely different ballgame than, say, Sam Darnold a year ago, who obviously had a ton of experience but wasn’t able to put it together until he arrived in Minnesota.
“I don’t want to say the Vikings are in a bad way, but they have some answers they need to find at the quarterback position now that Carson Wentz, who had been average at best but was sort of holding things together until J.J. got back, is now on IR, and his season appears to be over.”
Can J.J. McCarthy Lead the Vikings to the Playoffs?
With McCarthy expected to return for the game against the Lions, the Vikings sit at 3-4, leaving fans to wonder if they can still make a playoff push following Wentz’s injury. Wilson admitted he’s not seeing a positive with the team’s position halfway through the season.
“This ain’t where you want to be at the midway point of the season,“ Wilson added. “No doubt about it. And again, last year this time, we were having conversations about Sam Darnold as the MVP, which is sort of funny to say, but he played that well. That team played that well.
“The other thing to keep in mind is that the Brian Flores defense hasn’t looked quite like the Brian Flores defense we saw a year ago. They’ve been exposed at times, most recently on Thursday night, where we saw the offensive line, which has also struggled with injuries. We saw Carson Wentz take another beating that led to him landing on IR.
“But you compound the issues with the offensive line struggling to stay healthy and then the defense not playing at the level that it played at a year ago. And you take that all together with a young and/or rookie quarterback, should Max Brosmer have to play. And this is where you find yourself, and there’s very little room for error.”
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