It is very obvious that quarterback Carson Wentz wore out his welcome with the Indianapolis Colts.
The fact that they were willing to trade him to the Washington Commanders after one season is telling.
More telling is that Wentz’s biggest cheerleader, Colts head coach Frank Reich, who was also his offensive coordinator in Philadelphia during his miraculous 2017 MVP run, was forced to apologize to his boss, owner Jim Irsay, for encouraging Irsay to take the plunge to bring Wentz over in 2021.
#Colts head coach Frank Reich apologized to owner Jim Irsay after the season for pushing to trade for Carson Wentz, per @zkeefer. pic.twitter.com/0y3sc4oxMU
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) March 10, 2022
Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported that Reich expressed regret to Irsay for making the decision to bring Wentz to Indianapolis.
Reich thought he could bring back the 2017 Carson Wentz.
Colts’ Decision To Trade For Wentz Had A Ripple Effect
2021 was a better year for finding young quarterbacks in the NFL Draft.
Even if the Colts did not have a chance to get the headliners who were first-round draft picks, they could have perhaps pursued Kyle Trask or Davis Mills who went in the second and third rounds respectively.
If the Colts did not draft a young quarterback, they may have worked harder to develop Jacob Eason who 2020 Colts QB1 Philip Rivers was impressed with.
#Colts starting QB: Philip Rivers, on Jacob Eason:
"He made a throw the other day, I shook my head and said, 'I can't do that. I can't make that throw'." pic.twitter.com/gl0HWVZeHT
— Lawrence Owen (@Colts_Law) September 2, 2020
Because Wentz and Sam Ehlinger were on the roster in 2021, Eason was waived and is now with the Seattle Seahawks.
Rumors Of Wentz Being Uncoachable Surfaced
As if all of that is not bad enough, rumors have surfaced that Wentz can defy coaches’ directions and has a reputation of being occasionally uncoachable.
Commanders Coach Ron Rivera is a strong personality and does not appear to be a person who will be satisfied with that behavioral quality of Wentz’s.
Two thoughts on this Carson Wentz situation:
1. Philly AND Indy players didn’t like him. Uncoachable. Terrible leader. Poor decision making on the field. Injury prone.
This trade is baffling…
2. Washington has their first round pick.
They’ll still draft a QB and groom him…
— Melissa (@mdrizzy22) March 9, 2022
Week 18 Changed Everything
The Wentz Indianapolis experiment had ups and downs and was far from a perfect arrangement, but it seems impossible to believe the Colts would have traded Wentz had he won that Week 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
All the Colts needed to do was win to get in the playoffs.
The Jaguars only had two wins all year before that game.
They dominated the Colts and won the game by a score of 26-11.
That loss was the point of no return for Wentz’s career in Indy.
This Colts loss is one of the worst in recent @NFL history.
They only needed to beat the 2-14 Jaguars. A team led by a struggling rookie QB. A Jags team that already had it’s vacations booked. The @Colts not only lost, but got physically beat down.
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) January 9, 2022
Will The Commanders Regret Trading For Wentz?
It remains to be seen if the Commanders will have a better experience with Wentz.
He is familiar with the NFC East and has a good career record against NFC East opponents.
That will help him.
Carson Wentz’ is 16-9 in his career vs NFC East opponents (via @statmuse)#WashingtonFootball
— Jordan Asri (@wshingtontoday) March 10, 2022
This could be his final opportunity to prove himself as a QB1 in the NFL.
It really is puzzling that he has not been able to regain his momentum from 2017.
Getting injured as the Eagles were about to march into the postseason and watching Nick Foles lead the team through the playoffs and to the Super Bowl had to be heart-wrenching for Wentz.
Hopefully, his third chance gives him the redemption and postseason success he is seeking.
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