Wentz's most successful season was in 2017 when he helped the Eagles obtain their conference's top seed, despite suffering a season-ending injury in week 14, which led to them winning the franchise's firstSuper Bowl title inSuper Bowl LII with back-up quarterbackNick Foles. Wentz also earnedPro Bowl and second-teamAll-Pro honors. Wentz helped take Philadelphia back to the playoffs during his next two seasons, but further injuries limited his participation. After losing his starting position due to a production decline, Wentz spent his next three seasons as a starter and backup with theIndianapolis Colts,Washington Commanders, andLos Angeles Rams. He joined theKansas City Chiefs in 2024.
As a redshirt freshman in2012, Wentz was the backup quarterback toBrock Jensen and played in his first collegiate game on September 22. He completed all eight of his passes for 93 yards and threw his firsttouchdown in relief of Jensen in a 66–7 blowout victory over thePrairie View A&M Panthers.[7] Wentz finished the season completing 12-of-16 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns.[8]
Wentz was again the second-string quarterback in2013 and appeared in 11 games. He had his best game that season on October 13, againstDelaware State, completing 10-of-13 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.[9] Wentz finished his redshirt sophomore season completing 22-of-30 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown.[10]
Wentz became the Bison starting quarterback during his junior year in2014. In his first start in the opener against theIowa State Cyclones of theBig 12 Conference, Wentz completed 18-of-28 pass attempts for 204 yards in a 34–14 victory on August 30.[11][12][13] During the game against theWestern Illinois Leathernecks on October 10, he caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from running backJohn Crockett and helped lead the Bison to a 17–10 comeback victory.[14] Statistically, Wentz's best game that season was against theMissouri State Bears, where he threw for 247 yards and five touchdowns.[15]
Wentz led NDSU to a 15–1 record. On January 10, 2015, he started in his first national championship game against theIllinois State Redbirds and passed for 287 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 87 yards and scored a touchdown on a five-yard run to give the Bison the lead with 37 seconds left. NDSU won their fourth consecutiveNCAA Division I Football Championship game, 29–27.[16][17] Wentz started all 16 games in 2014, completing 228 of 358 passes for 3,111 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10interceptions. He was also the team's second leading rusher, rushing for 642 yards and six touchdowns.[18]
As a fifth-year senior in2015, Wentz had one of the best games of his career on October 10 against theNorthern Iowa Panthers, when he passed for a career-high 335 yards.[19] The following week against theSouth Dakota Coyotes, Wentz suffered a broken wrist in the first half but managed to complete the game with 16-of-28 completions for 195 yards and two touchdowns as the Bison lost 24–21.[20] After starting the first six games of the season and completing 63.7 percent of his passes for a total of 1,454 yards and 16 touchdowns, Wentz missed the next eight weeks of the season after undergoing surgery to his broken throwing wrist.[21] He returned to practice in the beginning of December and was cleared to play in the national championship. On January 9, 2016, Wentz led the Bison to its fifth straight FCS title, running for two touchdowns and throwing for a third.[22] He was named the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.[23]
In February 2016, most analysts had Wentz projected to be selected in the mid-first round of the draft.[29][30][31] However, Wentz began to be regarded as a Top 10 prospect after hispro day. On January 30, 2016, Wentz played in the2016 Reese's Senior Bowl and finished the game completing 6 of 10 pass attempts for 50 yards.[32] At theNFL Scouting Combine, Wentz showcased his athleticism as he was in the top three in the40-yard dash, thebroad jump, and thethree-cone drill among all quarterbacks. Wentz also reportedly scored a 40/50 on hisWonderlic test.[33]
On April 28, 2016, thePhiladelphia Eagles selected Wentz in the first round with the second overall pick in the2016 NFL draft.[34] He was the first quarterback the Eagles selected in the first round of an NFL draft sinceDonovan McNabb in1999, who was also taken second overall.[35] Wentz was also the highest-selected FCS quarterback taken in draft history and the first FCS quarterback taken in the first round sinceJoe Flacco in 2008.[36] The Eagles traded three top 100 picks in 2016, a first round pick in2017, and a second round pick in2018 in order to move up in the draft order and get him.[37] On May 12, Wentz signed a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $26.67 million .[38][39]
Wentz suffered a rib injury in the team's first preseason game of 2016,[40] but was fully healthy for the beginning of the 2016 regular season. Originally intending to have Wentz sit and learn for the 2016 season, those plans changed when the Eagles traded quarterbackSam Bradford to theMinnesota Vikings in September.[41] That same day, it was also reported that the team planned to start Wentz for the 2016 season when he became healthy.[42] On September 5, Wentz was named the starter for the season-opener against theCleveland Browns.[43] In that game, he threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns during the 29–10 victory.[44] Wentz was named thePepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 1.[45] In the next game against theChicago Bears, he threw for 190 yards and a touchdown during the 29–14 road victory.[46] He became the first rookie quarterback since 1970 to win his first two games of the season and not throw an interception.[47] The following week against thePittsburgh Steelers, Wentz had 301 passing yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles won 34–3.[48] He was named theNational Football Conference (NFC) Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Steelers.[49] During a Week 9 28–23 road loss to theNew York Giants, he was 27-of-47 for a season-high 364 yards and two interceptions.[50]
In his rookie season, Wentz started all 16 games for the Eagles as they finished the season with a 7–9 record.[51] Wentz threw for a league-record 379 completions by a rookie, breaking the record of 354 held by Bradford, who was with theSt. Louis Rams at the time.[52] His 379 completions also set a single season franchise record, breaking the record of 346 also held by Bradford from the previous season. Wentz also set a single season franchise record with 607 pass attempts, the second highest attempts by a rookie in league history only trailingAndrew Luck, who had 627 in the 2012 season.[53]
In Week 1 against theWashington Redskins, Wentz finished with 307 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception from a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage as the Eagles won by a score of 30–17.[54] In the next game against theKansas City Chiefs, Wentz threw for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. In addition, he rushed for 55 yards in the 27–20 road loss.[55] In a Week 5 34–7 rout over theArizona Cardinals, Wentz finished the game with 304 yards and a career-high four passing touchdowns.[56] In the first five games of 2017, he passed for 1,362 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions.[57][58] After this start, NFL insiders and reports ranked Wentz as a possibleNFL MVP.[59] He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 7 after passing for 268 yards and a career-high tying four touchdowns in a 34–24 victory over the Redskins.[60] Two weeks later against theDenver Broncos, Wentz finished with 199 passing yards and four touchdowns as the Eagles won 51–23.[61]
During Week 14 against theLos Angeles Rams, Wentz left the game due to an apparent knee injury. He finished with 291 passing yards, four touchdowns, and an interception as the Eagles won on the road 43–35. The victory earned Wentz's first NFC East title in the Pederson/Wentz era.[62] The next day, an MRI revealed that he suffered atorn ACL, keeping Wentz out for the rest of the season.[63][64] In 13 starts, Wentz finished the year with 3,296 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 60.2 completion percentage, and a 101.9 quarterback rating. On December 13, Wentz underwent successful surgery on his ACL.[65] Wentz was selected to his firstPro Bowl on December 19, but could not participate due to the aftermath of his recent knee surgery.[66][67] Wentz was ranked third by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[68] Led byNick Foles, the Eagles beat theNew England Patriots 41–33 inSuper Bowl LII, the first Super Bowl win in franchise history.[69][70]
In 2022, an article inThe Philadelphia Inquirer reported that prior to Super Bowl LII, Wentz expressed displeasure to other injured teammates that the Eagles were seeing success without him. Wentz was immediately confronted by one of the players and the two had to be physically separated.[71] Later in November 2022, former teammateDarren Sproles, who was on the Super Bowl winning team, revealed that he had a conversation with Wentz saying: "I had to make him realize that you [have to] be happy for the team. We’re all mad that we’re not playing; we’re all hurt, but you still [have to] be happy for the team.[72]
On June 25, 2018, prior to the start of the new season, Wentz was ranked third overall in theNFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[73] It is the highest Top 100 debut ranking in the history of the league.[74]
Wentz missed the first two games in an effort to continue recovery from his ACL injury andNick Foles remained as the starter.[75] On September 17, Wentz was medically cleared and regained his starting quarterback role.[76] In his 2018 debut, Wentz finished with 255 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the Eagles' 20–16 victory over theIndianapolis Colts in Week 3.[77] The Eagles experienced mixed results with Wentz as starter.
In November 2018, with the Eagles sitting at 5–6 on the season, an anonymous Eagles player revealed to Josina Anderson that he believed Wentz was negatively impacting the team.[78] The source stated that Wentz was over-targeting tight endZach Ertz (who set an NFL record for receptions by a tight end that season), which was detrimental to the offense's rhythm.[78]
Near the end of the season, Wentz dealt with a back injury and the Eagles, not wanting to risk further injury, decided to shut him down for the season and put in Foles as the starter for the rest of the season. Wentz finished with a 5–6 record and passed for 3,074 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.[79] Foles, playing in Wentz's absence, went 3–0 and led the Eagles to a playoff victory.[80] Wentz was ranked 96th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2019.[81]
Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, Joseph Santoliquito, writing inPhillyVoice, ran a piece in which more than a half dozen Eagles players were anonymously interviewed. The story revealed how players found Wentz to be "selfish" and "egotistical". The players stated that Wentz often called unnecessary audibles on plays and was not open to coaching.[82] However, several of Wentz's current and former Eagles teammates, including Ertz,Fletcher Cox,Brandon Brooks,Lane Johnson,Torrey Smith andNate Sudfeld, refuted the report and came to Wentz's defense as a teammate and a leader. They also stated that he always put the team first and that the locker room stood behind him.[83]
On April 29, 2019, the Eagles exercised the fifth-year option on Wentz's contract.[84] On June 6, they signed him to a four-year, $128 million contract extension with $107 million guaranteed, keeping Wentz under contract through the 2024 season.[85]
In Week 1 against theWashington Redskins, Wentz threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles won 32–27.[86] In Week 4, against theGreen Bay Packers, he helped lead the Eagles to a 34–27 victory with three passing touchdowns.[87]
Following a slow start at 3–3, another report came out, containing information from an anonymous Eagles player, who was critical of Wentz.[78] The source said that Wentz was trying to do too much and was often looking for a big play rather than taking the short check down. At the time of the report, Wentz only had a completion percentage of 38% on passes that traveled 15 yards in the air and had three interceptions on passes of that variety, which was tied for most in the league.[78]
In Week 13 against theMiami Dolphins, Wentz threw for 310 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 37–31 loss.[88] In Week 14, against theNew York Giants, Wentz helped lead a comeback victory with 325 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 23–17 overtime win.[89] In Week 15 against the Redskins, Wentz threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns during another comeback victory as the Eagles won 37–27.[90] In Week 16 against theDallas Cowboys, Wentz threw for 319 yards and a touchdown during the 17–9 victory.[91] He helped lead the Eagles to a crucial 34–17 victory over the Giants in Week 17. Wentz had 289 yards and a touchdown in the victory, which gave the Eagles the NFC East title. The division title was his second in the Pederson/Wentz era.[92][93] Wentz finished the 2019 season with 4,039 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.[94] He became the first quarterback in franchise history to pass for at least 4,000 yards[95] and the first in the NFL to do so without any receiver catching at least 500 yards.[96]
In the NFCWild Card Round against theSeattle Seahawks, Wentz left the game with a head injury in the first quarter after defensive endJadeveon Clowney made a helmet to helmet hit on him. He was ruled out of the game with a concussion after playing just nine snaps[97] in his post-season debut. The Eagles lost the game 17–9.[98]
Wentz made his return from injury in Week 1 against theWashington Football Team. During the game, Wentz threw for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Eagles lost 27–17. In the second quarter, the Eagles had a 17–0 lead over Washington, but they never managed to score for the rest of the game.[99] In the next game against theLos Angeles Rams, Wentz continued to struggle, throwing for 242 yards and two interceptions during the 37–19 loss.[100] The following week against theCincinnati Bengals, Wentz threw two more interceptions in the 23–23 tie.[101] In Week 7, against theNew York Giants, he had 359 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, and an interception during the narrow 22–21 victory.[102] In Week 8 against theDallas Cowboys, Wentz struggled, throwing for 123 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions during a 23–9 victory.[103] In Week 11, Wentz went 21 for 35 throwing against theCleveland Browns for 235 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, one being a pick-six in the 22–17 road loss.[104] In Week 13 against theGreen Bay Packers, Wentz was benched in the third quarter forJalen Hurts after the Eagles were trailing 20–3. Without Wentz, the Eagles went on to lose on the road 16–30.[105] On December 8, the Eagles named Hurts the starting quarterback for their Week 14 matchup against theNew Orleans Saints.[106][107][108]
At the time of his benching, Wentz scored 21 total touchdowns (16 passing, 5 rushing). However, he led the league in interceptions thrown (15), total turnovers (19), and sacks taken (50).[109] Wentz ended up leading the league in all of those categories at the end of the season despite only playing in 12 games.[110]
Wentz was traded to theIndianapolis Colts on March 17, 2021, in exchange for a2021 third-round pick and a2022 first-round pick.[111] He was reunited with former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinatorFrank Reich, who had since become the head coach of the Colts.[112]
Duringtraining camp, Wentz suffered a foot injury that required surgery.[113] Despite the foot surgery, he was able to return in time for the September 12 season opener at home against theSeattle Seahawks, where Wentz completed 25-of-38 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns; however, the Colts fell short 28–16 in his Indianapolis debut.[114] Wentz passed for a season-high 402 yards and two touchdowns in a 31–25 overtime road loss to theBaltimore Ravens in Week 5.[115]
Wentz threw for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions as the Colts finished the season 9–8, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after a loss in Week 18 to theJacksonville Jaguars.[116][117]
Wentz, along with the Colts' second and seventh round picks in the2022 NFL draft, were traded to theWashington Commanders on March 16, 2022, in exchange for 2022 second and third round picks and a conditional third-round pick in the2023 NFL draft.[118] In his debut with the Commanders, Wentz threw for 313 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in a 28–22 victory over the Jaguars.[119]
In Week 3, Wentz made his return against his former team, thePhiladelphia Eagles. Wentz completed 58% of his passes for 211 yards and was sacked nine times and fumbled twice during the24–8 home loss.[120] In the 21–17 loss to theTennessee Titans in Week 5, Wentz threw a game-sealing interception to linebackerDavid Long Jr. in the red zone.[121] In theThursday Night Football win over theChicago Bears, Wentz fractured his ring finger on his throwing hand.[122] Wentz was placed oninjured reserve on October 22 and re-activated on December 12, although he did not regain his starting duties due to the emergence ofTaylor Heinicke as the team's starter.[123][124]
In Week 16, Wentz came in relief of Heinicke after he was benched in the fourth quarter, where he completed 12 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in the 37–20 road loss to theSan Francisco 49ers.[125] With the Commanders needing to win their final two games to make the playoffs, head coachRon Rivera reinstated Wentz as the team's starting quarterback in Week 17.[126] He had a poor performance against the Browns completing 16 of 28 passes for 143 yards, one rushing touchdown, and three interceptions during the 24–10 loss.[127] The loss and wins by theGreen Bay Packers andDetroit Lions on the same day resulted in the Commanders being eliminated from playoff contention.[128]
On February 27, 2023, the Commanders released Wentz after one season with the team.[129]
On November 8, 2023, Wentz signed with theLos Angeles Rams to be the backup toMatthew Stafford.[130] He was announced as the starter for the Rams' final regular season game against the 49ers after the team secured a playoff berth the previous week.[131] In the game, Wentz threw 17-for-24 for 176 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He also rushed for a 12-yard touchdown with 2:53 left in the fourth quarter, then completed a crucial two-point conversion toTutu Atwell to help lead the Rams to a narrow 21–20 road victory over the eventual NFC championSan Francisco 49ers.[132]
In Week 15 against theCleveland Browns, Wentz replaced an injured Mahomes midway through the fourth quarter in a 21–7 victory.[134] With the number one seed in the AFC secured, Wentz was named the starter for the Chiefs' regular season finale against theDenver Broncos.[135] In the matchup, Wentz completed 10-of-17 passes for 98 yards and no touchdowns as the Chiefs were shut out in a 38–0 loss.[136] The Chiefs were able to reachSuper Bowl LIX but lost 40–22 to Wentz's former team, the Eagles.
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Redshirt
