The Washington Commanders finally acquired the man they believe can be their franchise quarterback on Wednesday, when they traded for Carson Wentz.
With Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson now off limits, and the start of NFL free agency around the corner, HC Ron Rivera and his front office blinked at last.
After reportedly failing to land Wilson (now en route to Denver) despite offering multiple first-round picks, the ‘consolation prize’ was picking up Wentz from Indianapolis.
The price is a third-round pick in 2022 and a 2023 third-rounder which could become a second.
This wasn’t the move most Commanders fans had hoped for to return Dan Snyder’s moribund franchise to the land of the living though - instead it feels like another desperate reach.
Wentz on the move…again
Wentz, remember, is being traded by the Colts after just one season in Indianapolis, when a late-season implosion saw the team miss out on a postseason berth.
Indy HC Frank Reich, remember, is the man who likely believes in Wentz more than any other. Or maybe now it’s believed, past tense.
Reich, who was OC for Wentz during their days together in Philly, had enough faith in early 2021 to send what eventually turned out to be a first-rounder to the Eagles to acquire Carson. One year on and it appears even he is out on the former number 2 overall pick.
The other interesting thing to note here is that Washington will apparently take on the entirety of Wentz’s lucrative contract - which means he’ll count $28.94million against its 2022 cap.
That means most of the Commanders’ $33million space is now gone, while Indy has a huge new chunk to play with heading into the start of free agency next week.
Wentz trade betting reaction
Betting reaction to the trade was fascinating too - in that there was hardly any. On Thursday morning Sky Bet was offering Indy at 25/1 to win Super Bowl LVII with Washington at 66/1.
When a starting QB moves from one franchise to another, and that move hardly causes a ripple in the odds, it is extremely telling.
Time will tell whether anybody can eventually ‘fix Wentz’. But if Reich can’t, then who can? Washington in recent years has been a place where QB careers often go to die. The odds are this might be another to add to that growing trend.
Wentz has now ‘failed’ in two NFL cities, will this be the Trifecta?