While Carson Wentz rebounded from last year’s ugly Eagles season, his performance in the Colts’ final two games did the most to prevent the team from qualifying for the playoffs. The veteran passer’s Indianapolis future is somewhat uncertain.
Wentz is signed through 2024, and the Eagles took on a record dead-money sum by trading him less than two years after authorizing a big-ticket extension. As a result, the Colts have Wentz on a more manageable contract. GM Chris Ballard‘s endorsement of his starter, however, was less than ideal.
“When we made the decision, after Philip [Rivers] retired and we made the decision to make a move on Carson, at the time of the decision we felt good about it and I still don’t regret the decision at the time,” Ballard said, via Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “Sitting here today, just so y’all know, I won’t make a comment on who is going to be here next year and who is not going to be here next year. That’s not fair to any player.”
Ballard was a bit more comfortable discussing Quenton Nelson‘s future with the franchise, but the dominant guard’s status is not exactly in question. The Colts have used four different starting quarterbacks during Ballard’s five-year GM tenure — Jacoby Brissett, Andrew Luck, Rivers and Wentz — and none has been the primary starter in back-to-back seasons. This has limited one of the NFL’s better rosters, one that sent seven players to the Pro Bowl this season.
Should the Colts unload Wentz before June 1, a $15MM dead-cap hit would come their way. The team does have the former No. 2 overall pick attached to sub-$28MM cap numbers from 2022-24. As quarterback salaries move beyond $40MM annually, Wentz’s deal is becoming a middle-class QB pact.
Wentz, 29, did finish 10th in QBR this season and ended his first Indianapolis slate with a 27-7 TD-INT ratio. Following his positive COVID-19 test, however, poor performances led to the Colts losing as a favorite against the Raiders and a two-touchdown favorite against the Jaguars.
“I’d like to quit Band-Aiding it,” Ballard said. “I’d like for Carson to be the long-term answer or find somebody who will be here for the next 10-12 years. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. I can dream about it, wish about it, do everything I can to figure out the solution, but you do the best with what you can do at the time.”
With select QBs expected to be available this year, it is not a lock Wentz returns. The Colts did give up first- and third-round picks for him, certainly limiting their draft options at the position. And given Wentz’s history with Frank Reich and progress as a whole in 2021, a second season in Indy should probably still be the expectation. But Ballard’s comments make this a situation worth monitoring.
“At the end of the day, I think we have a lot of really good players and really good pieces. You have to get stability at the quarterback position,” Ballard said. “That position has to play up to his potential to help the team win. I’m not blaming this all on Carson. I’m not because everybody else has to do their job, too.
“But the hyper-importance of that position, it’s real. You have to get consistency there. The years we’ve gotten it we’ve been pretty good, and we thought we had it until the end of the season. Something we have to continue to work through.”
I’m so happy the Eagles traded him,that deal keeps looking better and better. So many experts were declaring the Colts winners on this deal last year.
I mean, in the end no one really won
Carson Wentz is the Ricky Fowler of the NFL
Carson doesn’t do well when in the shade. Will be pouting about now…
Smartest headline I’ve read all day. They literally could have signed Andy Dalton, saved the draft picks, and finished with the same record. It really should have cost either GM or coach their job.
I want what you’re smoking if you think Andy Dalton could be top 10 in QBR or throw 27 TDs
Given Wentz reached those benchmarks and is horrible? yep.
Why would the Colts GM commit to him? The dude had a whole year behind one of the league’s best offensive lines and still couldn’t put his PTSD behind him. Best to acknowledge you made a mistake and move on at the next opportunity.
10th in QBR and a 27-5 TD to INT ratio, while being hurt for the beginning of the year, is not something you can conjure up out of thin air. Wentz should have been better in many moments, but he wasn’t awful. In any case, there’s no better option currently available. You can’t just snap your fingers and create a good QB just because you think you need one.
At this point, they need to stick with him for next year and use what draft capitol they have left to bolster the rest of the team. That was at least a two year deal when they made the trade for what they ended up giving. The Colts are almost where they need to be, and certainly could get there with Wentz. But unless they go out and nab Rodgers, there’s not a definitive upgrade available.
Indianapolis could easily have made the playoffs this year, with a handful of moments going their way instead of their opponents’. A few receiving options to take some more pressure off Wentz (or whomever they start) and Taylor could be attainable with what the Colts have available. This season ended with disappointing results, but the Colts are not very far from being a top contender in the AFC. An offseason with Wentz healthy and his playing a full slate of games (or at least a fuller slate) should help.
Right! And I believe that the Biden administration can turn the corner here in the next few years as well ……. /s
The only consistency in football seems to be that fans and teams will not realize what they have until after they lose it. Wentz, again, had plenty of moments where he should have been better, but he produced for Indianapolis. I’m not sure why fans always treat the NFL as a zero sum game, where you’re absolutely a winner or absolutely a loser, and ignore the details as to why a team ended up the way it did.
The Colts leaned too much on Taylor this year for that offense to remain sustainable. Part of that is on Wentz, which I do agree with. However, there is plenty of reason to expect him to be better next year (whether he actually will be is on him). He spent a lot of this year injured, even while playing (he got noticeably worse playing with two messed up feet, for instance, as we’d expect). Even if he’s not, the Colts gave up too much to drop after a year, and he played well enough to be a net positive. The Colts, unfortunately, needed more. There’s enough to think that they could get it, and besides, there’s no clear upgrade out there right now. This isn’t Drew Lock we’re talking about, here.
Agreed. It sure seems like fans treat Wentz as though he’s a borderline starter when he’s at least a top 20 quarterback at the moment. Will he be able to reach his potential once more? Perhaps not, but it could be considerably worse
If Pittsburgh strikes out on Russ,A-Rod, Deshaun, a big name or someone with potential like Tua. I would be okay with Carson Wentz in Pittsburgh. I suspected them maybe even look at Nick Foles as well.
that’s a massive range of dudes.
You’re not wrong, word is Tomlin and Co is looking for an established QB, and A-Rod loves Tomlin, Deshaun and Russ are just options that Pittsburgh either won’t give up the capital, or don’t want the drama. So I figured out if the top 3, Rodgers is only one that I could see coming. Tua, Wentz, Carr I could definitely see the burgh pulling trigger on either one, and well nick foles I think would be more for a bridge, but it’s not a terrible option, like Mason Rudolph.
Foles is done. If the Steelers have Foles as their QB, Tomlin’s streak of winning seasons is over.
Don’t think Wentz gets you to the Super Bowl