Carson Wentz Gets Dealt to the Commanders: What is Next?
Just 24 hours after a historic trade was made, another quarterback was on the move. The Indianapolis Colts traded QB Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders in exchange for draft picks. Wentz played just one year with the Colts, in which they missed the playoffs. With a chance to clinch a berth, Wentz and the Colts lost to a three-win Jacksonville Jaguar team by a score of 26-11. Let us analyze each side of the trade, who the next quarterback for the Colts is, as well as if Washington got better from this trade.
Trade Details
Colts Receive:
2022 third-round pick
2023 third-round pick (becomes a second-round pick if Wentz plays 70% of snaps)
2022 second-round pick
Commanders Receive:
QB Carson Wentz
2022 second-round pick
The Commanders will also pay the entirety of Wentz’s salary, which is $28M in 2022, including a $5M roster bonus.
Did Washington Get Better?
From an outside perspective, it looks like the Commanders finally got a quarterback for the roster that is playoff-caliber. The only question though is it really an upgrade. In 2021, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was supposed to be the starter, but he got injured in Week 1, springing QB Taylor Heinicke back into a starting role. Heinicke is a nice story but is average at best. In 2021, he completed 65% of his passes for 20 TDs and 15 INTs, sporting a passer rating of 85.9. Those numbers are not scary, leading the Washington Football Team (at the time) to a 7-10 record. For Wentz, his numbers were better, throwing 7 more touchdowns and 8 fewer picks, but still missed the playoffs with a league-leading rusher and a great defense. There have also been reports that Wentz has had leadership issues. Now, he quarterbacks a team that threw punches on the sideline and cannot seem to get out of their own way when it comes to controversy. At this moment, I would not bet on the Commanders being that much better than last year, mainly because I do not know how much of an upgrade Wentz truly is at the quarterback position.
Colts QB?
Now, onto the Colts, where it does not get any easier. If a team were to win this trade, I think it would be the Colts because they cleared Wentz entire contract, giving them some wiggle room to sign or trade for a quarterback. As of right now, the Colts do not have a quarterback on their roster outside of Sam Ehlinger and James Morgan. Both of those players have very little experience in the NFL, let alone being a starting quarterback. Luckily for the Colts, they do have options. They can sign a veteran bridge player like Mitch Trubisky or Jameis Winston. Or, the more likely route, they can trade for a QB like Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr, or Kirk Cousins. They can also trade for QB Deshaun Watson, but I would not consider him until there is some clarity with his legal situation. Indianapolis can also draft a quarterback, but if they are going to do that, they are better off waiting until next year. At this moment, the best move for the Colts is to sign a bridge guy and take a shot on a much better QB class next year, which will include Alabama QB, Bryce Young. All options are open, so we will see what happens.
QB Carousel
First, Aaron Rodgers re-signed with the Packers (I know, very anti-climactic). Anyway, that was the first quarterback move made. Next was QB Russell Wilson to the Broncos, followed by the Wentz news. The big question is who is next. There have been numerous rumblings about even more quarterbacks being moved, most notably 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo. It is almost a guarantee that he gets moved because QB Trey Lance is slotted to be the starter for San Francisco for the foreseeable future. Other QB’s that might be on the move is, as stated earlier, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, and Deshaun Watson (pending legal issues). There have also been some issues in Arizona with QB Kyler Murray. While it is unlikely, he gets moved, it is still something to keep an eye on. This might all be a lot of rumors, but you never know with the way they are getting moved around these days. Who knows, by the time you read this, your favorite team might have traded their quarterback.
Draft info from cbssports.com
Stats from profootballreference.com
Writer
-By: Richie Dordas