Indianapolis Colts trade QB Carson Wentz to Washington Commanders for Draft Package

Posted by DavidGreen
Mar 14, 2022

Introduction

On Wednesday, March 9th, 2022 the Indianapolis Colts have agreed to trade their rollercoaster quarterback, Carson Wentz, to the Washington Commanders in exchange for an extensive draft package that was presented back to Indy for Wentz.

Through this trade agreement the Indianapolis Colts will acquire two 3rd - round picks (2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts), The 3rd - round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft can possibly turn in to a 2nd - round pick if Carson plays at least 70 % of the snaps for Washington Commanders during the 2022 - 2023 NFL season. Also, the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Commanders swapped their 2nd - round draft picks meaning that the Indianapolis Colts will now move up from the number 47 overall selection to the number 42 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

According to sources the Washington Commanders will end up paying the full $28 million due to Carson for the 2022 - 2023 NFL season. That includes a $5 million roster bonus that is due to Wentz by next week.

Quarterback Rotation for Indianapolis Colts Since 2016 – 2017 NFL Season

Since the 2016 – 2017 season of the National Football League, the Indianapolis Colts have been through 5 different Week 1 starting quarterbacks, and the Colts are tied with the Washington Commanders and the Denver Broncos for most in the NFL over that time span. The Indianapolis Colts were a terrible 0 and 6 in the opening week of the NFL regular season throughout the past 6 - years.

Quarterback	Year
Andrew Luck	2016
Scott Tolzien	2017
Andrew Luck	2018
Jacoby Brissett	2019
Philip Rivers	2020
Carson Wentz	2021

This new NFL blockbuster trade comes just 1 - week after the Washington Commanders general manager, Martin Mayhew, explained that their NFL franchise has "canvassed the league effectively" in order to find their next starting quarterback. The Washington Commanders have started 32 - quarterbacks since they won their last Super Bowl which was after the 1991 – 1992 season of the National Football League. That includes 8 QB’s over the last 3 - years.

Last season Taylor Heinicke compiled an overall record of 7 and 8 as the starting quarterback for the Washington Football Team. Heinicke threw for 3,419 - passing yards, 20 - touchdown passes, and 15 - interceptions.

The Washington Commanders have the worst total QBR in the National Football League since the 2018 - 2019 NFL season, and their 71 - touchdown passes in that span also rank in last place amongst all of the other NFL franchises. That's is a main reason why the Washington Commanders have went 24 and 41 since the start of the 2018 - 2019 NFL season.

Wentz spent just 1 - season as the Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback following the Indianapolis Colts giving the Philadelphia Eagles a first - round and third - round pick for Carson back in February of 2021. That was the Colts effort to locate their next franchise quarterback after the retirement of Philip Rivers following the 2020 - 2021 NFL season.

Originally the second overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, Carson threw 27 - touchdown passes as well as tying his career - low in interceptions with 7 - picks last year. Wentz’s long - term status with the Indianapolis Colts came under great scrutiny late in the season last year as he struggled mightily in the Indianapolis Colts’ last 2 - games, when the Indianapolis Colts only had to win 1 of their last 2 - games in order to make the 2021 - 2022 NFL playoffs.

"I'd like to quit Band - Aiding it," the Indianapolis Colts general manager, Chris Ballard, stated. "I'd like for Carson to be the long - term answer or find somebody who will be here for the next 10 to 12 years. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way. I can dream about it, wish about it, do everything I can to figure out the solution, but you do the best with what you can do at the time."

Carson completed 59 % of his passes, tossed 2 - touchdown passes, and he had 2 - turnovers in losses to both the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars to close out the Indianapolis Colts’ last football season. Wentz threw for at least 200 - passing yards in just 2 of the final 8 - games. In the huge upset loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in last year’s season finale, Carson recorded a career - low total QBR of 4.3.

An MVP candidate with the Philadelphia Eagles prior to tearing an ACL late during the 2017 - 2018 season of the National Football League, but Carson lost his starting QB job to Jalen Hurts during the 2020 - 2021 NFL campaign, that ultimately resulted in Wentz’s trade to the Indianapolis Colts. Carson is headed to his 3rd - franchise team over the last 3 - NFL seasons, and he will play against both of his former teams during the upcoming 2022 - 2023 NFL season.

Carson will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles 2 - times, and he will travel to Indianapolis to play the Indianapolis Colts during the next season of the National Football League.

Wentz leaving Indianapolis means that the search for a stable and consistent quarterback will continue for the Colts ever since the retirement of Andrew Luck back in August of 2019. Jacoby Brissett didn't show enough greatness to prove that he was worth the squeeze, Philip Rivers was a bridge - gap quarterback at the very end of his NFL career, and Carson failed in his only season with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts’ head coach Frank Reich will now have his 5th - starting QB in as many seasons.

Sam Ehlinger and James Morgan are the only other quarterbacks presently on the Indianapolis Colts' team roster, and neither of them have ever started a game in the National Football League.