‘We think in Philadelphia that we go as Carson Wentz goes,’ Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in May 2019.
‘Whether it’s leadership, poise, the desire to be really, really good – if not great, attention to detail, smart, face of the franchise in so many ways.’
One month after that statement, Roseman signed Wentz to a four-year, $128million (£91.6m) contract, which was the richest in team history. Factor that with the five draft picks Philly traded to select Wentz in 2016 and Wentz becomes the largest investment the Eagles have ever made in a player.
However, on February 18, 2021 Philadelphia traded Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional second-round pick. Philly will also be charged $34m (£24.2m) for Wentz this season, the largest dead cap charge for any NFL team ever. The Eagles are spending a fifth of their 2021 salary cap just to get rid of Wentz.
December 10, 2017: the 10-2 Eagles are facing the 9-3 LA Rams. Wentz is having an MVP calibre season having thrown for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns, only seven interceptions and a 101.9 quarterback rating. With four minutes left in the third quarter, the Eagles are two yards from the endzone. Wentz scrambles to his right and dives into the endzone while taking a hit.
Torn ACL.
The man who walked on the field to replace him started the first of two quarterback controversies.
February 4, 2018. Super Bowl 52. There was 38 seconds left in the second quarter on a fourth and goal. The Eagles were two yards from the endzone. Then head coach Doug Pederson calls a timeout, the quarterback looks him dead in the eye and says a line that will go down in history: ‘You want Philly Philly?’
The back Corey Clement, motions behind him. He walks forward, pretending to be shouting at his lineman until he is next to his right tackle. The ball is snapped to Clement. Trey Burton, who is on the left, gets pitched the ball as he is running right. The quarterback pretends like he’s not in the play and then suddenly sprints to the endzone where he is wide
open.
‘CAUGHT. NICK FOLES. TOUCHDOWN.’
Nick Foles would go on to win Super Bowl MVP that game as he outduelled Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to win the Eagles first-ever Super Bowl. In the next season Wentz got injured in week 15 and Foles would once again lead the Eagles to a play-off run that would be ended by the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional round.
Many thought the Eagles would give Foles a new contract since Wentz was still on his rookie deal. They didn’t. He walked. The Eagles haven’t won a play-off game since.
The second quarterback controversy didn’t happen in a game, or even in a season. It happened on April 24, 2020. The moment, many say was the end of the Wentz-Eagles relationship, was just one sentence: ‘With the 53rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select… Jalen Hurts,
quarterback, Oklahoma.’
They drafted a quarterback they really didn’t need and it cost them the quarterback they always wanted. Wentz either couldn’t deal with or just simply didn’t want to deal with it.
The 28-year-old had his worst season in 2020. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 31st best quarterback. He had the greatest statistical regression for any under-30 starter in 70 years.
They should have known Wentz well enough to understand the effect that drafting Hurts would have on him. How it would shatter the trust between Wentz, Pederson and Roseman, how it would create tension in the quarterback room and how it might ultimately affect Wentz’s performance.
Wentz had just bounced back from watching Foles take all the glory, but the Eagles drafted another QB when Wentz was 27 and in his prime. You could see his confidence had been shot every game. The Eagles broke Wentz.
Ultimately, the whole situation was screwed up by a series of questionable decisions by the front office, poor play by Wentz and average, at best, coaching from Pederson. Wentz was stuck in the middle of failure. He was the middle child of three quarterbacks. Foles will go down in Eagles folklore as the backup that led them to their first ring, and they preferred the energetic Hurts after watching him play.
Pederson is gone. Wentz is gone. A fall from grace for the 2017 champions.
Week Eight of the 2017 season. The San Francisco 49ers played the Eagles. Before the game kicked off, Pederson was chatting to San Fran GM John Lynch about Wentz’s superb start to the season and said: ‘John, I’m gonna tell you: you never know about a player really, truly, until you get him in
your building, and you can work with the guy.
‘This kid’s unbelievable, the way he prepares, the way he practices, and for this city? It’s unbelievable. It’s been fun. As long as we don’t screw him up, right?’
By Charlie Parker
