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Carson Wentz is reportedly working out with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay and “wants and intends to play this season, and is awaiting the right situation,” according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Whether NFL teams are willing to give Wentz another shot at this point remains to be seen.
The 30-year-old quarterback has played for three different teams (the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders) in as many seasons, and the results have not been pretty:
- 2020 (Eagles): 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns, NFL-worst 15 interceptions, 57.4 percent completion percentage, sacked an NFL-worst 50 times, 3-8-1 record as the starter.
- 2021 (Colts): 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 62.4 percent completion percentage, sacked 32 times, 9-8 record as the starter.
- 2022 (Commanders): 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 62.3 completion percentage, sacked 26 times, 2-5 record as the starter.
The Colts season doesn’t look too bad from a statistical perspective, but it’s important to note that the team was 9-6 that year and controlled its own destiny for a playoff berth, needing only one win in the final two weeks. But they lost both games, with Wentz totaling 333 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and seven sacks.
In the final week of the season, the Colts lost to a 3-14 Jaguars team. He was sacked six times alone in that game.
So even that year, Wentz’s biggest issue—his propensity to hold onto the ball for way too long and seek the home-run throw rather than the safe check-down option—reared its ugly head at the worst possible moment.
Perhaps a team will grant him another shot in a backup role. But his days as a starting quarterback appear to be numbered.
