The Colts moved on from Carson Wentz after a mere one season in Indianapolis, and while the quarterback's time with the organization won't be viewed as a success, there is something to be said for how the franchise successfully cut its losses.
The Colts sent Wentz to the Washington Commanders on Wednesday in exchange for what potentially could equate to one second-round pick and one third-rounder with an additional second-round pick swap. The Commanders also reportedly will be on the hook for Wentz' $28 million cap hit in 2022. Wentz does not have any guaranteed money left on his deal after this season.
All told, it should be viewed as a home run for the Colts, right?
Well, a report from The Athletic's Zak Keefer on Wednesday further confirmed just that. Keefer, in an extensive piece highlighting the reasons that led to the eventual departure of Wentz, reported Washington originally wanted to give up a fourth- and sixth-round pick for the signal-caller. Again, Indianapolis received what likely will be a second- and third-rounder. That is a considerable difference.
"The Commanders originally came in offering a fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder, and talks intensified Tuesday after Washington missed out on Russell Wilson," Keefer wrote Wednesday. "Washington will assume all of Wentz's 2022 salary -- roughly $28 million -- letting the Colts off the hook for the $15 million they owed him even if they cut him."
That explanation seems to depict that Washington panicked following a busy NFL Tuesday with Wilson being traded to the Denver Broncos and Aaron Rodgers landing back with the Green Bay Packers. The difference between Wilson and Wentz, however, is astronomical. The Commanders essentially paid full price for a shirt on the clearance rack.
And they helped out the Colts tremendously by doing so. The Colts originally traded the Philadelphia Eagles what proved to be a first-round pick and third-rounder for Wentz last offseason. Now, after what looked like it could have been an abject failure for Indianapolis, the Colts gained a pair of Day 2 picks from the Commanders while getting out from under the quarterback's contract.
