Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz tries to avoid the tackle of Kansas City Chiefs … [+] defensive back Daniel Sorensen in the fourth quarter of a Week Two game between the Eagles and Chiefs in 2017. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Carson Wentz looked poised for stardom.
A leading MVP candidate, he threw for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions while leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a 11-2 record in 2017.
Then he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 14, and the Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII without him.
That’s the kind of roller-coaster career it has been for Wentz, who held such promise that he signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Eagles in 2019 before suffering from myriad injuries and inconsistent play, which set him on more of a journeyman’s career path.
“Life doesn’t always go the way we plan,” he said.
He played the last three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Rams. But the quarterback’s latest team — the Kansas City Chiefs — returns him to the offense in which he once shined.
“This one will kind of hit home so to speak and be the most familiar for me,” Wentz said. “Obviously, there is always little intricacies and differences, but I think it will make sense to me and resonate with me pretty quickly.”
The Super Bowl-champion Eagles of 2017 were coached by Doug Pederson, who played under Andy Reid and then went on to serve as his offensive coordinator with the Chiefs from 2013 to 2015.
Nick Foles was a backup Chiefs quarterback in 2016 and then the next year would usurp Wentz, following the quarterback’s injury, and lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl LII title.
Wentz never spoke to Foles, who also previously played under Reid during Foles’ first stint in Philadelphia, about Reid during this free-agent process, but he remembered the previous praise he had heaped upon both Reid and Matt Nagy.
“He loved working with those guys. Those things he said to me back then definitely still rang true in my head as I was making this decision,” Wentz said. “Those things were definitely a factor and gave me a little more peace and comfort in knowing what I was getting into.”
That’s a reason why the 31-year-old quarterback signed a one-year deal with Kansas City.
But the short-term deal also means the itinerant quarterback could be on the move again next year.
“Lots of unknowns about the future,” Wentz said.
Whatever the future holds, Wentz should provide an upgrade at backup quarterback for the Chiefs in the interim.
While playing mop-up duty for Patrick Mahomes during a blowout win against the Chicago Bears and when the Chiefs rested the majority of their starters in Week 18, Blaine Gabbert struggled. He completed just 18-of-35 passes for 185 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
While playing two games for the Rams last year, Wentz completed 17-of-24 passes for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
But Wentz, who was unsigned for much of 2023, didn’t join the Rams until November.
“I was at home a lot more,” he said. “I was waiting for a call. I was being a dad a lot more.”
Now he’ll get a full offseason with the Chiefs to become integrated in an offense in which he has roots.
The hope, of course, is that he won’t get much playing time because that would mean an injury to Mahomes.
But it’s been theorized he could serve in another role. Mahomes’ only severe injury was a dislocated kneecap suffered in 2019. Because that injury occurred on a quarterback sneak, the Chiefs have been hesitant to use that play and have struggled on short yardage as a result.
Though Wentz said no one from the Chiefs has told him that could be his role, the 6-5-237-pound quarterback would be good at sneaks.
“I’ve had a lot of success with that,” he said. “I would credit a lot of my success to Jason Kelce over the years there in Philly. He was the real, secret ingredient.”
Kelce was a linchpin when the Eagles won their only Super Bowl title.
Wentz will aim for his second Super Bowl ring after signing with the defending champs.
“The desire to be here on a winning team, in a good culture, in a good community, with a good fanbase,” he said, “just seemed like a good fit.”
