That’s a Wrap for Carson Wentz

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz (11) walks along the sideline Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. © Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Carson Wentz will become a free agent this offseason, likely marking the end of his career as a true-blue QB1.

The Washington Commanders released Wentz on Monday, just two weeks before NFL free agency begins. SI.com’s Albert Breer tweeted, “Carson Wentz signed a 4-year, $128 million extension with the Eagles in 2019. Its base value, over 6 years, folding two years of his rookie deal in, was about $154 million. Today, the Commanders terminated that deal. Wentz wound up making $105,198,279 of the total, from 3 teams.”

That’s a Wrap for Carson Wentz

Wentz was utilized in back-to-back seasons as a QB1 solution for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 and Commanders in 2022. The experiment flopped for both teams.

Wrap for Carson Wentz
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The North Dakota State alumnus began his career with a bang, leading the Philadelphia Eagles close to the Promised Land in 2017 before succumbing to injury. His teammate QB2 Nick Foles took over that year, Philadelphia beat the Minnesota Vikings in NFC Championship, later the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, and Wentz’s sizzle never fully returned. Wentz did, though, perform admirably in 2018 and 2019, but everything soured for unknown reasons in 2020.

On the other hand, Washington is expected to roll with second-year quarterback Sam Howell in 2023 unless it falls in love with another young passer in April’s draft. Howell was plucked from the 5th Round of the 2022 NFL Draft and experienced a smidgen of playing time as a rookie — evidently enough to mesmerize head coach Ron Rivera for the future.

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And Wentz? Well, he’ll enter “best backup quarterback in the league” territory, emulating Case Keenum or Gardner Minshew of seasons past. It would be absolutely stunning if another NFL team granted Wentz a 2023 audition as QB1, even if showcased as a “patchover” quarterback to a younger player. Make no mistake — all of the Wentz-related enthusiasm from five years ago has vanished.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky mentioned Monday about Wentz’s future in the league, “He either needs to go a team that doesn’t have an established starter, maybe like a Miami and be a backup there or maybe he steps away from the game and is done. I think he’s been beat up, made a ton of money, maybe this is it.”

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports.

By releasing Wentz, the Commanders save over $20 million in cap space. Wentz’s 2022 teammate, Taylor Heinicke, is also a free agent and can sign anywhere in the NFL on March 15th.

Wentz ranked 31st of 34 last year per quarterback DVOA. Only Baker Mayfield, Matt Ryan, and Justin Fields performed worse, per Football Outsiders.

The Commanders have featured 12 different starting quarterbacks since Kirk Cousins left Washington for Minnesota in 2018.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.

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