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Carson Wentz Sends Strong Message Ahead of First Vikings Start

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 3:06 PM ET

The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in what will be a battle of backup quarterbacks. Joe Burrow of the Bengals suffered a turf toe injury last week, which will likely hold him out for at least three months, while Vikings' starter J.J. McCarthy sprained his ankle last Sunday. This means that Carson Wentz will make his first Vikings start.

Wentz, who is in his 10th season in the NFL, will make a start for a sixth team in the past six years when he takes the field for the Vikings.

Growing up in Bismarck, North Dakota, Wentz was a Vikings fan during his childhood and will now have the chance to play for the team he once rooted for.

"I grew up rooting for this team," Wentz said on Friday, per the NFL's X account. "It's one of those things, you play long enough, and you kind of forget about those things. It's football, you bounce around teams. But, being here, it kind of alluded to when I first got here, just how cool it is for me to know, I used to cheer for the guys that I'm walking down the hallway seeing."

When Wentz takes his first snap on Sunday, he will be the first player in NFL history to start for six different franchises in six consecutive seasons. He played his first five years with the Philadelphia Eagles, winning a Super Bowl in 2018.

In his career, he played in 98 games, completing 62.7% of his passes for 22,410 yards and 153 touchdowns with 67 interceptions. He has also rushed for 11 scores in nine years thus far.

"I used to come to the Metrodome, I was waving the towel, I was part of the skol chants," Wentz continued. "So running out of that tunnel this week will probably hit me a little bit different in a really cool, kind of surreal way, so I'm excited for that."

With McCarthy likely out for at least a couple of weeks, Wentz will hope to endear himself to the Vikings fans he grew up with, beginning on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against the Bengals.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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