The Indianapolis Colts have traded quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders for multiple mid-round draft picks, according to an ESPN report on Wednesday.
Wentz, the No 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, will head to his third team in two seasons with the swap, having spent the 2021 campaign with the Colts after four years with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Wentz, 29, has three years remaining on his contract with salary cap hits of $28.3m, $26.2m and $27.2m consecutively. The Commanders will be taking on the entirety of his deal for the 2022 season, including a $5m roster bonus due next week, according to ESPN.
It was not immediately clear what the Commanders sent to the Colts in their latest attempt to find a franchise quarterback. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the teams will exchange second-round picks in this year’s draft, while the Colts will acquire Washington’s third-round selection and a third-rounder in 2023 that can become a second if Wentz plays 70% of the Commanders’ offensive snaps.
Wentz spent one season as the Colts’ quarterback after Indianapolis traded a first- and third-round pick to acquire him in a February 2021 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He threw 27 touchdowns, matched a career low in interceptions with seven and appeared to have the Colts in line for a third playoff appearance in four years. But Indianapolis stumbled to back-to-back defeats in their final two regular-season games – needing only one of them to punch their postseason ticket – including a dismal 26-11 loss to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in their season finale.
This will be the sixth consecutive year the Colts will have a different opening day starter, though Jacoby Brissett took over when Andrew Luck missed the entire season in 2017 and again in 2019 when Luck abruptly announced his retirement in August.
While coach Frank Reich urged the Colts to acquire his former Eagles pupil 13 months ago and continued to support Wentz throughout the season and offseason, general manager Chris Ballard was less committed. Last week, Reich told reporters at the NFL scouting combine he needed a quarterback he believed could be a long-term solution – before quickly explaining that didn’t mean he didn’t believe in Wentz.
Commanders coach Ron Rivera evidently does believe in Wentz. The move to acquire a former face of an NFC East rival is the once-storied franchise’s latest attempt to shore up a quarterback situation that has been in flux for decades.
The move, which cannot be finalized until the start of the new league year next week, came one day after the NFL offseason got into full swing with Aaron Rodgers reportedly agreeing to stay with the Green Bay Packers and longtime Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson heading to the Denver Broncos in a trade.
