Looking back on the Carson Wentz era
After what felt like an eternity of speculation and waiting, the Philadelphia Eagles finally pulled the trigger and traded quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. With rumors of one or two first round picks being the asking price, the Eagles were able to get back a third round pick 2021 and a conditional second round pick in 2022, which could turn into a first round pick. Now that the deal is done and both sides can look forward to the future, let’s take a moment and look back at the Carson Wentz era in Philadelphia.
The Eagles traded up to second overall in 2016 to select Wentz, and he came onto the scene immediately with a 3-0 start and one of the best starts from a rookie quarterback in NFL history. After fizzling out throughout his rookie year, Wentz showed promise and that he could be a franchise guy moving forward.
2017 was one of the best seasons we have ever seen from an Eagles quarterback. Wentz went on a tear in his second year, going 11-2 with 33 passing touchdowns, breaking the franchise single season record in only 13 games. He was on his way to an MVP before getting hurt against the Los Angeles Rams. He was injured in Week 14 and missed the rest of the season and we all know what happened after that. Nick Foles comes in and brings home a Super Bowl trophy, the first ever in franchise history. As good as Foles was in that playoff run, we don’t come close to it without Wentz playing out of his mind in 2017.
It felt like everything would continue to improve in 2018 with the return of Wentz. His first game back, ironically against Frank Reich and the Colts, Wentz and the Eagles came out with a win. He looked like his normal self right out of the gate, escaping pass rushers and extending plays with his legs. He looked like he had never gotten hurt. The rest of the season continued to be iffy, as he finished 5-6 and missed the end of the season, making way for another Foles playoff run. After letting Foles walk into free agency in 2019, the Eagles doubled down on Wentz as their future by giving him a four year, $128 million extension. They made it known that he was their guy.
2019, we were able to see Wentz carry a team. With injuries to his entire starting wide receiver core, the offensive line and running back group, Wentz led the Eagles to a 4-0 stretch the last four weeks of the season and led them to a division title and home playoff game. After years of doubting if he could get them to the playoffs, Wentz finally did it, and had a date with the Seattle Seahawks. That would all be taken away from him, as he was speared in the back of the head on the second drive of the game and was ruled out with a concussion. The Eagles lost the game, and the thought for the offseason was they need to get Wentz more help.
The front office had other plans. In the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected Jalen Hurts. The original thought was to bring in Hurts for a two quarterback system offense, which sounded ridiculous at the time and even more ridiculous now. Wentz was still QB1, but there was other plans with Hurts that we didn’t know about yet.
Everything came apart for Wentz in 2020. Poor play, decision making, injures across the entire offense, a declining coaching staff. Nothing went right. He was playing like the worst quarterback in the league, and eventually benched for Jalen Hurts in Week 13. Now, as we get ready for the offseason, Wentz is heading to Indianapolis and Hurts looks to be the QB1 in Philadelphia.
However you want to remember Carson Wentz’s time in Philadelphia is up to you. Without him, we don’t have the best season or first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. We don’t get home field advantage for the playoffs without Wentz’s MVP caliber season. Not only did he give his all on the field, but he gave his all in the community and wanted to help everyone around him.
Sometimes a relationship isn’t meant to be, and this one ran its course. Thank you, Carson Wentz for your time in Philadelphia, and I wish you nothing but success moving forward.
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Categorized:Eagles