To say the Colts soured on Carson Wentz probably undersells this situation. While Indianapolis landed a reasonable return for its latest one-and-done starter, the team did not play this process coyly.
The Colts’ decision-makers publicly did not commit to Wentz, after Jim Irsay called a meeting in the wake of the team’s end-of-season collapse. The Colts were drifting away from Wentz before those two losses, per The Athletic’s Zak Keefer, who adds in an expansive piece the former No. 2 overall pick’s leadership qualities — or lack thereof — bothered the team to the point it could not count on its recent hired gun.
Well aware of the Colts’ course change, Wentz attempted to meet with Irsay in the past month. Irsay declined that meeting, Keefer reports, effectively ending the Wentz era before the team’s Wednesday trade with Washington. The Wentz deal leaves the Colts as a clear have-not at quarterback, but the team steadfastly abandoned ship after one season. Whomever Indianapolis starts in Week 1 of next season will be the sixth different passer to open a Colts season in the past six years.
The Colts did get the Commanders to pay up, relatively speaking. Washington initially offered fourth- and sixth-round picks for Wentz, Keefer notes. Indianapolis moved the terms to two thirds — the 2023 third can move to a second based on playing time, similar to the first-rounder exchanged in 2021’s Colts-Eagles swap — and a swap of second-round picks. The Colts now hold the No. 42 pick in the 2022 draft, climbing up five spots. Indy does not have a first-rounder in this draft, having traded it to Philly for Wentz.
Washington had offered three first-round picks for Russell Wilson, per Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan (on Twitter). The Commanders offered at least that, per the Washington Post’s Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala, but the Seahawks traded Wilson to the Broncos. Washington let it be known it was seeking a veteran quarterback, and while Deshaun Watson was also on the team’s radar, it pulled the trigger on the Wentz trade. Indeed, Wilson refused to waive his no-trade clause for the Commanders, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com tweets. By all accounts, Wilson had zeroed in on Denver this offseason.
As for Wentz’s Colts fit, Keefer adds the franchise’s issues with the sixth-year veteran began before Week 1 of last year. A lack of leadership and a resistance to hard coaching — a complaint mentioned in the fallout from Wentz’s Eagles run — invited early Colts doubt about Wentz. Irsay had also expressed frustration about Wentz’s refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Wentz landed on the reserve/COVID list before the season and ahead of Week 17. Although Wentz finished the season with a 27-7 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio, he topped 200 passing yards just twice in his final eight games and ended the season with a career-low 4.3 QBR against the Jaguars.
From Fitz to Wentz? Ron isn’t very good at understanding the QB position & it’s importance.
Been better off signing Winston, saving the picks, and drafting a rookie.
Agreed. Though I think Wenz will bounce back. Dual ankle injuries the second half of the season seriously hampered him. Winston has similar upside tho.
I disagree; I think that Ron has faith in the Guardrails that He and Crew have installed over these past ~Few years now!
I Do think that We have a ~Strong culture and have Def turned the corner from whatever it was the Bruce Allen was doing ‘here’!!
A rebrand is usually a public admission that the culture of the organization has gone to pot.
Well, Fitz got hurt VERY early so I find hard to say that his signing wasn’t worth it at the time. And Wentz wasn’t nearly as bad overall as he’s been given credit for.
I honestly think that another year of Wentz uninjured with an actual offseason and a receiver addition would have ended in a better offense, because a transition to yet another QB in another back to back year would have been hard. Now Wentz will, like any quarterback, will need time to acclimate before reaching whatever his full potential may be, good or bad. Hopefully for Washington it works out, but I think Indy could have been patient for one more year, especially given what they gave up.
I guess it was one of those things where the coach pushed for it and management didn’t really 100% endorse the move. If those reports about Wentz’s attitude were actually true, though, then I don’t doubt that that was a factor.
It’s well known Winston wants to return to New Orleans.
Ugh didn’t Cam Newton go 15-1 one year and lost in the superbowl with Ron? Oh and was MVP. He’s a defensive minded coach. Puts me emphasis elsewhere. Like running the ball and stopping the run. Play D and Run the ball and Wentz doesn’t have to win them games.
Teams have been eager to dump him two straight offseasons, but I’m sure Washington won’t regret trading draft picks for the privilege of paying him $28 million this year.
Well, the Eagles’ situation was a well documented mess, but the Colts never had an offseason with Wentz, who also predictably got injured. So, I think with Wentz, you have to understand what you got. There’s no guarantee which guy you’ll get, and there’s a pretty wide range between the two, that’s true, and you have to account for that. He could be very good, but you’ll have to put in a lot of work to make sure that you get the good version (like most other quarterbacks). If you get him, you have to make sure that you’re willing to put that work in to increase that chance. If you’re not, it’ll not be worth it.
If the Commanders get 2019 and 2021 Wentz I think theyll be happy with the stability at the position after cycling through QBs the last couple years.
Wonder if the Steelers will inquire on Jordan Love from the Packers.
I mean, I suppose it’s possible, but do you really want to bet $28 million and draft picks on hoping he’s enough? He wasn’t enough last year to win with a better roster. They barely trusted him to throw. He’s had one outlying year when he looked like a superstar, and that year he had such a strong supporting cast that they won the Super Bowl with Nick Foles. And Wentz was extremely bad in 2020.
The 2020 pandemic year that threw a wrench into off season programs, training camps, players and coaches being available due to covid protocols?
Yeah definitely worth putting a lot of stock into that year.
Can you think of any equivalent collapses?
Jared Goff had good 2018 and 2019 had significant drop off in 2020
Lamar Jackson coming off an mvp season wasnt the same in 2020 as he was in 2019, especially as a passer
Goff came down from 2018 to 2019 and McVay got fed up in 2020. Jackson came down from what was probably a career best. Both were declines. Wentz fell off a cliff.
True, and fair points, but Wentz had significant injuries and a verifiably dysfunctional organization, which are two factors outside of his individual ability that affected his results. I think that it’s fair to raise the concerns, and I think you make valid points, but I just don’t think that he’s outright bad more than he is disappointing.
The amount of effort that an organization will need to put in for a quarterback who’s likely lost his confidence and has been injury prone is probably not ideal, I agree. But I can’t go all the way and completely say that Wentz is entirely responsible for his results the last two years. There are just too many things, from injuries to missed offseasons to general team dysfunction (mostly in Philly) that make me pause before selling totally on Wentz.
27 TDs and 7 ints is not falling off a cliff.
Dont let those stats fool you. The 27/7 TD to Int is very misleading. He disappeared in a lot of games and looked completely lost
I was talking about 2020.
Wentz played well for the most part last year, of course that comes with at least one real bone head play a game
1 bone Head mistake is 5 times better than Jameis Winston’s bone Head games
With all of he stink of his he lawsuits filed against the top brass of the Washington franchise, it would have been beyond stupid to bring in Deshaun Watson and all HIS baggage…maybe Wentz figures it out…all I know is the QB situation in Washington is better now than it was this morning…
Of the lawsuits, not that original jibberish
Wouldn’t you love to know what the Commanders were offering to the Seahawks and/or Texans that wasn’t good enough for them? Washington was making noise like they would do something stupid in terms of picks to get a real starter and then this weak deal somehow becomes the best alternative? Makes me think some free agents must also have turned them down…
The story says Wilson wouldn’t waive his no-trade for Washington, so at least for the Seahawks it wasn’t a matter of the offer not being good enough.
Agreed with the above by ahh. The Commanders made a very strong offer from what it seems.
Whoever could have seen this coming?
“Whomever Indianapolis starts in Week 1 of next season will be the sixth different passer to open a Colts season in the past six years.”
Technically correct, but they’d be the 7th in 7 years, so wouldn’t saying that make a stronger statement? (It’s not clear if he meant distinct passers, though, in which case he’d be wrong since 2016-2019 went Luck, Brissett, Luck, Brissett)
With the big asterisk that I didn’t watch him play last year…
I like this move for WASH.
Wentz has too much pedigree and showed too high of a ceiling early on to give up on yet.
As a Colts season ticket holder, I spotted Wentz’s biggest detriment early on & it never got better, only worse. He’s at his worst in the 4th qtr (or OT), especially in close games. Some guys have the kind of leadership to run the no huddle, come from behind, take the team on his back, basically win the close ones. Wentz has zero of those qualities. He also “tries to make a play” in the most inopportune times, like throwing left hand & back handed passes while in his own; I guess trying to avoid a safety, instead of those dreaded 2 points, it’s 7 points the other way. He did this twice, so he never learned. That attempt has about a 1% chance of working, maybe 10% chance of being ruled incomplete, 20% chance of a grounding penalty, & 69% chance of disaster & he did it twice.
Colts should trade for Gardner Minshew. The guy has done well.
I agree. I also think Minshew would be worth it for the Steelers. He’d cost less than Garoppolo too.
“COMMANDERS” IS A TRULY STUPID NAME FOR AN NFL TEAM!!!! and to think it only took Snyder and his morons 2 years to come up with such a stupid name….they were way better off as The Washington Football Team….SNYDER IS A MORON OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS!!!!!
Wow! Hyperbole much?