On Sunday, former No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz posted a picture on his personal Instagram account showing him working out in an Eagles helmet, a Commanders jersey, and Colts shorts. These are the three teams that he played for in the last three seasons.
Wentz was regarded as one of the best quarterbacks coming out of the 2016 NFL Draft when the Philadelphia Eagles moved up to the No. 2 spot to take him. At first, Wentz showed promise and looked to be the face of the Eagles.
However, in the 2017 season, he suffered a torn ACL injury against the Los Angeles Rams late in the season and backup quarterback Nick Foles led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII.
Since then, it has been all downhill for Wentz. He suffered multiple injuries including a back vertebral fracture, concussion, foot, ankle, finger, and bicep strain. Wentz’s play disintegrated over time which led to him getting benched in 2020 against the Green Bay Packers and Jalen Hurts took over the role. Wentz’s confidence took a turn for the worse which led to getting traded to Indianapolis Colts in 2021, and then the Colts traded him to the Washington Commanders in 2022. The Commanders released Wentz on February 27, 2023, and he remains a free agent.
Wentz is a 30-year-old from Bismarck, North Dakota. He played four seasons at North Dakota State (2012-15) completing 392 of 612 passes (64%) for 5,115 yards, 45 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 216 carries for 1,028 yards, 13 touchdowns, and one catch for 16 yards, and one touchdown in 43 games for the Bisons. He is a five-time FCS Champion (2011-15).
Wentz has played seven seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and Washington Commanders completing 2,056 of 3,284 passes (62.6%) for 22,129 yards, 151 touchdowns, 66 interceptions, 337 carries for 1,362 yards, 10 touchdowns, and one catch for four yards in 93 games. In 2022 with the Washington Commanders, he completed 172 of 276 passes (62.3%) for 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight games, of which seven were starts.
Wentz has a gunslinger of an arm and throws deep passes which is needed badly in the CFL. With the number of quarterbacks that have gone down this year in the CFL from Jeremiah Masoli, Trevor Harris, Bo Levi Mitchell, Tyrie Adams, and Matthew Shiltz. Maybe Carson Wentz would fit right in the CFL.
He is looking to redeem his playing career. No one wants to be remembered for how bad their careers went but how they learned from past mistakes to get better. The CFL field is 110 by 65 yards with the midfield line at 55 yards. It is a passing league and Wentz could fit right in.
I get that he might not want to play in the CFL and instead wait for another opportunity in the NFL because of how much players make. However, I think he would entertain the idea of going to the CFL if he has the opportunity to play football again.
A team like Ottawa or Hamilton could benefit from having Wentz on their team. Hamilton has a lot of speed at the wide receiver position. Could you imagine him throwing a deep pass to Tim White Jr. or Terry Godwin for a touchdown? Those plays could make it to SportsCenter.
The CFL needs a player like Wentz in their league for exposure and their American deal with CBS Sports Network could help bump up the ratings which would be excellent for them. It worked for them before when Johnny Manziel played in the league and I think it can happen again. Although Manziel did not work out in the CFL, I think things will be different with Wentz.
In the end, I think a CFL team should at least pick up the phone and call Carson Wentz to see if he would be interested in playing for them. It’s a long shot but I think with the right conversion, he might just cross the border and play in the CFL.
