ASHBURN, Va. — Carson Wentz Philadelphia was full of highs: He was a frontrunner to win MVP as Eagles quarterback 2017 and has revived that conversation with his play this year.
• Wentz’s ‘wild’ time in Philly
• Is Flacco elite — at dancing?
• Peppers has shot vs. Ravens
• Titans’ areas of concern
• Cook, Thielen have new roles
• Lovie’s return to Chicago
Wentz was not spared from the lows. He sustained a severe knee injury, was placed on the Eagles bench three years later and was traded just a few months later.
It was, Wentz said, a “whirlwind.”
The marriage that looked promising ended abruptly.
Wentz, now at the Washington CommandersOn Sunday, he will take on the Eagles (1 p.m. ET, Fox) for the first time since his trade to the Indianapolis Colts Before the 2021 season.
Before he does, it’s worth remembering just what that “whirlwind” looked like in Philadelphia.
2016: The draft
Philadelphia made a trade with Miami and Cleveland to move up from the 13th to the second pick. The Eagles lost two players, corner Byron Maxwell (linebacker) and Kiko Alonso (linebacker), and six draft picks.
But they did it for a simple reason: “One player can change your team,” general manager Howie Roseman told reporters after the draft.
They fell in love with Wentz. Roseman shared a story about a trip to Fargo in North Dakota. Wentz played collegiately at North Dakota State. Roseman also recounted the incident of overhearing a conversation at dinner. Roseman had briefly left the restaurant but returned to hear the end of an exchange.
“I saw the manager and the hostess talking to each other and saying, ‘Carson is just the greatest guy. He is humble and always grateful to all of us. Roseman explained that they didn’t know why we were there or what we were doing.
Doug Pederson, the then-Eagles coach, boasted of Wentz to reporters at the time. He said that he had a Brett Favre-like mentality while on the field.
“I love quarterbacks that are willing to take a chance, take a calculated risk down the field,” Pederson said. “Brett was like that, and I see it in Carson.”
It was the beginning of a love affair. On draft night, Wentz stood on the stage wearing an Eagles cap and proclaimed, “I’m pumped to be an Eagle.”
2017: MVP to injury
Wentz performed as Philadelphia had envisioned for the first 12 games and the entire season. He played in the Week 12 game. Los Angeles Rams Third in QBR total and first in touchdown passes, with 29.
He was a magician against Washington. Wentz completed the first drive on the road with a 52-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-12. He escaped to his left, dodged two defenders, and made a perfect throw just as he was about being hit.
Wentz again did it in Week 7, against Washington at home. Wentz seemed to be being sacked in the fourth quarter against a Washington blitz on third-and-8. The Eagles won because Wentz broke free and ran for 17 yards.
“He was lights out,” said Washington corner Kendall FullerHe was one of the players in the game. “He was [always] making plays like that.”
Six games later, at the end of the third period of a eventual win of 43-35 over the Rams, Wentz threw four more touchdown passes and tore the ACL/LCL in his left leg.
His magical season came to an end and a new journey began.
As the Eagles marched towards Super Bowl victory — and backup quarterback Nick Foles He was in the process to earn a statue outside Lincoln Financial Field — Wentz started the long road of recovery. But he did so having finished third in the MVP voting that season; he led the NFL in total QBR at 74.4 and his 33 touchdown passes were topped only by Seattle’s Russell Wilson With 34.
2019 Extension
After sustaining a knee injury in Week 3, Wentz played 11 games before suffering a stress fracture in the back that ended his season. He finished the season with 3,074 yards, 21 touchdown passes, seven interceptions, and solidified his standing within the organization.
The mounting injury history didn’t stop the Eagles from giving him a four-year, $128-million extension before the 2019 season. They liked what they saw from him in spring workouts and were convinced the injuries weren’t an issue.
“We believe in this player,” Roseman said at the time.
Upon signing, Wentz said he didn’t think the culture of the city — and the passion of the fan base — could “fit me any better.”
Later, he posted a message to Eagles fans on Twitter: “From the moment I got drafted here I knew this place was special. It means the world to me to be cemented here for so long. … It’s going to be a fun ride.”
That season, the Eagles suffered from injuries and finished with a record of just 5-7. They won four consecutive games and were awarded the NFC East title. Wentz threw for 1,199 yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions in those four wins.
Wentz, who threw for over 4,000 yards, was the first franchise quarterback to do so with 27 touchdown passes. He also had seven interceptions.
It was worth it. At least for one season.
Despite Wentz’s season, the Eagles decided to draft Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round. Roseman said the pick was not a statement as to how they felt about Wentz’s ability.
“There’s no threat to Carson here,” Roseman told reporters.
Roseman had previously told Wentz that he might draft a quarterback. Roseman later pointed out they had needed the backup quarterback to play in the six playoff games Philadelphia had participated in since Wentz’s arrival — he had also been knocked from the 2019 postseason loss to Seattle with a concussion.
“It’s a hard decision, but it was the right thing to do,” Roseman said of drafting a quarterback that high.
He also told reporters at the time: “Nobody is going to be looking at a rookie quarterback as somebody who is going to be taking over for a Pro Bowl quarterback, a guy who has been on the cusp of winning an MVP.”
Wentz struggled, however. In 12 games, Wentz threw 16 touchdowns and a career record 15 interceptions. He was sacked 50 more times.
Doug Pederson made Wentz the coach for Hurts, with the Eagles at 3-8-1.
“I didn’t expect to be in this situation back in April,” Pederson said.
He was also confident that Wentz would return to the same level as he did a year ago. But reports soon surfaced that Wentz preferred to be traded if he wasn’t the starter in 2021.
2021: The trade
More reports expressing tension with Wentz and his organization made it clear that a divorce was imminent. For several weeks, however, the Eagles have denied that they will trade Wentz.
After all, they’d incur a dead cap hit of $33.8 million — the largest in NFL history. It appeared that Wentz might be returning after they fired Pederson.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told reporters in early January that Wentz “is tireless. He has his heart in the right place and he’s really dedicated offseason, on-season — he’s just what you want.”
Five weeks later the Eagles traded Wentz with the Colts for a third round pick in 2021, and a conditional selection in 2022 that was to become a first-rounder.
Philadelphia was the end of the Wentz era.
“I definitely cherished my time that I had up there,” Wentz said this week. “It was certainly a wild trip in many, many different ways.”