It wasn’t a good day to reflect on the Colts trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that ultimately brought Carson Wentz to Indianapolis in February.
Wentz, along with the entire Colts offense, struggled in Week 18 and were knocked out of the NFL playoff picture because of it, getting handed a 26-11 defeat to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. Indianapolis had two straight games where a win would have earned a postseason berth and the Colts lost both games to the Las Vegas Raiders and Jaguars.
The signal-caller had a pair of second-half turnovers and while his season-long turnover numbers on the surface seem respectable — 27 touchdowns to seven interceptions in 17 games — a bad performance in a big spot prompts a big-picture outlook. Wentz did have stretches of good play this season, his first under head coach Frank Reich, but it’s clear he no longer will be the same player who was worthy of MVP votes in 2017.
Reich was asked rather bluntly about the team’s future and if Wentz remains in it following the season-ending loss.
“I think Carson did a lot. I think we’re a team. I think he’s our quarterback and I think we’re all going to learn and grow from this year,” Reich said, per the team. “I think there were a lot of bright moments for him, you know, for Carson. So, again, I’m not going to go deep into individual assessment.”
Reich did, however, criticize the Colts passing game. Indianapolis, while a run-heavy team behind running back Jonathan Taylor, became one dimensional down the stretch. The Colts finished 22nd in the NFL in passing yards and 28th in attempts. The Colts threw for 168 yards or less in five of their last seven games entering Week 18. Indianapolis then threw for 139 yards as Wentz went 17-for-29 with one interception against the Jaguars.
“In the pass game, we just haven’t been good enough. We weren’t good enough the second half of the year, really, it felt like to me,” Reich said. “We never really got into a rhythm. So, that starts with me. It’s obviously a group effort by all of us, but I know we can be better. We have a lot of years of being very productive in the pass game. I’m not saying that to minimize how poor it was in the last couple weeks, or last half of the season, however that looks. But I’m confident we can figure that part out.”
Wentz remains under contract through 2024, but the Colts owe just $15 million guaranteed on the remainder of the four-year, $128M deal. Indianapolis could release Wentz and save $13.3 million in 2022. That’s not accounting for the $53.4 million they’d also save from 2023-2024, the final two non-guaranteed years of his deal, as noted by CBS Sports.
The Eagles, on the other hand, gained a first- and third-round pick for Wentz all while clearing his bloated salary, created cap flexibility. Philadelphia now is on its way to the postseason as the No. 7 seed in the NFC while Indianapolis coughed up what was thought to be a sure opportunity.
