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Carson Wentz harbors no ill will toward the Minnesota Vikings after he played through a dislocated shoulder that ultimately led to season-ending surgery. 

Wentz, who made five starts at quarterback for the Vikings in relief of JJ McCarthy, played in two more games after he initially sustained the injury during Minnesota's Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns. Wentz played the entirety of the Vikings' Week 6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles before being taken out during the late stages of last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers against his wishes. He told reporters he was well aware of the risk he was taking playing through that kind of injury. 

"This isn't my first rodeo," Wentz said Wednesday. "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. Communication's been phenomenal from coaches, trainers, all the things. I knew what we were doing all along."

Fair or not, J.J. McCarthy finds himself in do-or-die moment as the future of the Vikings
Tyler Sullivan
Fair or not, J.J. McCarthy finds himself in do-or-die moment as the future of the Vikings

Playing in meaningful games, Wentz said, was the driving force behind his desire to continue to play through the injury and obvious pain that came with it. While he made 69 starts during his first five seasons in Philadelphia, the only starts Wentz had the previous two seasons were in Week 18 games that meant nothing in terms of playoff significance. 

During his five weeks as the starter, Wentz was able to help the Vikings win two games to remain in the thick of things in the NFC playoff race. Minnesota (3-4) will now move forward with McCarthy, who is in line to make his first start this Sunday in Detroit since he sustained an ankle injury back in Week 3. 

It may not have ended the way he had hoped it would, but Wentz said that he appreciated the opportunity to be a starting quarterback again for a playoff-caliber team, albeit for a short period of time. He was clear he doesn't regret his decision to play through an injury that resulted in him being placed on season-ending injured reserve. 

"It's what I grew up dreaming of doing," he said. "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, [I wanted] to play. I want to be out there, and I want to be helping this team however I can."