It’s been nearly two years since Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles divorced, ending a five-year marriage that has seen many ups and downs. Although all the early success, numerous injuries, the emergence of Nick Foles and a disastrous 2020 season led Wentz to ask for a trade to Philadelphia.
The road hasn’t been easier for Wentz since his departure, as he is on his third team in his last three years. Wentz seems to have found a home with the Washington Commanders as he takes on his old team for the first time. He plays down Game 1 against the Eagles, but talked about his time playing for the team he was instrumental in securing Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl title.
“It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun,” Wentz said Wednesday. “Obviously we had a lot of success there. Winning the Super Bowl up there was pretty special. To be a part of that was pretty cool. It’s the whole town, the whole fanbase, the whole experience. I’ll definitely treasure my time there, but obviously being on the other end now, it’s going to look a little different. It was a fun few years there while I was up there. I definitely cherished my time there.
Philadelphia’s divorce was complicated, starting with Wentz’s performance in the 2020 season. Of the 35 qualified quarterbacks in major passing categories, Wentz was 34th in completion percentage (57.4), 33rd in yards per attempt (6.0) and 34th in quarterback rating (72.8). He tied the NFL lead in interceptions thrown (15) and was sacked the most of any quarterback in the league (50) — despite only playing in 13 games. Wentz’s bad throw percentage (which is considered a bad throw to a receiver) was the second highest in the league for quarterbacks who attempted more than 400 passes (21.7%).
The Eagles left head coach Doug Pederson and committed to Wentz, but he wanted to move on. Wentz was eventually traded to Indianapolis as the Eagles received a 2022 first-round pick and a 2021 third-round pick. Wentz was traded before the Eagles even used the pick, which helped them to taking down AJ Brown in last year’s draft.
So how did things get so bad in Philadelphia?
“I don’t know,” Wentz said. “That’s such a big question that I’ve answered many times…I think your perspective changes when you grow up, you know. There’s always things I think back on. Man, I could have been better here. I could have been better as a person, as a teammate, a lot of things you take for granted.
“I definitely cherished my time up there. It was definitely a wild ride in a lot of ways.”
Wentz got off to a good start in Washington, completing 65.5 percent of his passes for 650 yards with seven touchdowns to three interceptions for a passer rating of 100.3. Not only is Wentz tied for the league lead in touchdown passes, but he’s the only player to complete 10 passes over 20 yards this year.
He’s comfortable with his new franchise, that’s all that matters at this point. Philadelphia is a thing of the past, although Wentz has to face the Eagles twice a year.
“It’s been fun. It’s been great fun,” Wentz said. It’s a younger team with a lot of guys who are hungry, hungry to win. It was fun to be a part of it, to have a different leadership role being one of the older guys in the locker room.
“We’re just getting started here, but hopefully we can find a consistent level of play as we progress here.”
