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Carson Wentz’s NFL career hasn’t gone exactly as planned. The No. 2 overall pick of the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2016, Wentz burst onto the scene as a rookie, giving Washington fans nightmares of what the next 10-15 years could look like in the NFC East.
Wentz was headed for an MVP season in 2017 before he tore his ACL in a Week 14 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Wentz was lost for years, leaving Nick Foles as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback. Foles would lead the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
Wentz’s time in Philadelphia was never quite the same.
While he would return to the starting lineup in 2018, a segment of Philadelphia’s fan base always wanted Foles. There was no question, Wentz was the far more talented of the two; however, Foles was beloved.
In 2018, Wentz led the Eagles to a 5-6 record in his 11 starts. The following season, Philadelphia finished 9-7, with Wentz starting every game. Things fell apart in 2020 when the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round.
After a disappointing end to his five years in Philly, Wentz was shipped to the Indianapolis Colts, reuniting him with head coach Frank Reich — his former offensive coordinator in Philadelphia.
His lone season in Indianapolis started slowly but seemed to improve as the season progressed. Unfortunately for Wentz, the Colts fell apart in their final two games, missing the playoffs after an embarrassing 26-11 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season finale.
That finish led to Indianapolis GM Chris Ballard not endorsing Wentz’s return in 2022, despite giving up a first-round pick for him. Reich offered similar sentiments later.
After Wentz’s trade on Wednesday, Zak Keefer of The Athletic wrote an outstanding piece on his one season with the Colts.
Some of the nuggets from Keefer’s story weren’t encouraging from a Washington perspective. Some of the following things were said about Wentz: “lack of leadership, resistance to hard coaching, and a reckless style of play.”
Remember, the leadership aspect was raised during Wentz’s time in Philly.
You now consider Wentz will be on his third team in three years, and you tend to believe there’s something to the rumors. Why would the Colts trade Wentz just one year after giving up a third-round and first-round pick for him?
Why would the Eagles trade him one year after signing him to a massive contract extension?
Wentz’s play is one thing. He is reckless. Early in his career, that recklessness often benefitted the Eagles, as he’d escape pressure and sling the ball downfield for a big play. Those plays have been less recently.
Another interesting nugget from Keefer’s story was Wentz reached out to Irsay to “clear the air” after hearing his time in Indianapolis could be in jeopardy. The meeting didn’t happen, allegedly because Irsay was out of town. The two did speak later.
Was Wentz on shaky ground with management or the locker room? According to several of his former teammates, Wentz was a popular player. Multiple players, including star linebacker Darius Leonard, took to Twitter to wish Wentz well.
Here we go again! About to be 5 years with the Colts and 5 different QBs! Thank you Carson for everything this year my guy! Wish you nothing but the best!
— Darius Leonard (@dsleon45) March 9, 2022
Starting wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
Appreciate you @cj_wentz. Great teammate and friend! He will be great!
— MPJ (@MikePitt_Jr) March 9, 2022
Look, there’s no doubting the rad flags surrounding Wentz. You don’t get traded twice in two years after a team spends two premium draft picks in acquiring you. However, it doesn’t appear as if Wentz is despised in the locker room as some hinted at on social media recently.
For Washington, if things don’t work out, the team can cut him at the end of the season and only lose two draft picks. It could be worse. It could always be worse.