JUMP TO:
- Why did Eagles trade Carson Wentz?
- How long was Carson Wentz with Eagles?
- Carson Wentz Eagles stats
- How many teams has Carson Wentz played for?
Carson Wentz has carved out a long NFL career, taking on a backup role in recent years — spending the 2025 season with the Minnesota Vikings, he's become a nice insurance option. However, in his prime years, he was once viewed as a franchise passer for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Drafted by the team in 2016 and immediately becoming the Eagles' QB1, Wentz played a significant role in Philadelphia's 2017 season that ended in a Super Bowl, despite a season-ending injury. He became one of the best pure passers in the NFL in green, white and black.
Wentz's time in Philly came to an abrupt, dramatic ending though. As Wentz's numbers dropped off, Jalen Hurts emerged and rumors about Wentz's negative locker room presence surrounded him, the Eagles wound up trading him to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021.
Why did the Eagles move on from Wentz? Here's what to know about the split between the team and its former star quarterback in 2021.
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Why did Eagles trade Carson Wentz?
On March 17, 2021, the Eagles agreed to trade Wentz to the Colts in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 first-round pick. While Indianapolis viewed him as a potential longer-term successor to Andrew Luck, the Eagles already had their next young quarterback in mind.
The tension between Wentz and the Eagles seemed to begin in his second season, when he threw for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions as an MVP candidate through 13 games of 2017. Philadelphia was one of the league's best teams thanks to Wentz's play — but he tore his ACL in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Reminder: Carson Wentz broke the Eagles single-season franchise record for TD passes on a torn ACL. pic.twitter.com/1jiXkojnur
— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) February 19, 2021
As Wentz's season ended, backup Nick Foles famously stepped in and silenced any Eagles doubters, playing some of his best football en route to a Super Bowl LII title over the New England Patriots.
However, Wentz was still the starting quarterback in 2018, making for a strange situation. Foles, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, was back on the bench, causing some drama with fans and the media as the Eagles went back to Wentz. Reports later on suggesting that Wentz was not well-received in the team's locker room, including him potentially not taking Philadelphia's Super Bowl run without him well.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Wentz "voiced his displeasure with the Eagles’ success [without him] to a group of other injured players," leading to a confrontation. Former teammate Darren Sproles also later said 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."
“We had some words… I had to make him realize, that you gotta be happy for the team.”⁰⁰@DarrenSproles confirms that he had to have a conversation with Carson Wentz during the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl run.⁰⁰📺: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/6UH11NiCRA
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) November 18, 2022
Still, outside of his injury issues, Wentz remained the starter in Philadelphia in 2018. Foles eventually departed from the team, quieting the quarterback drama for a bit — and the Eagles then extended Wentz in June 2019, doubling-down on him as their starter with a $128 million deal.
Wentz had an individually strong 2019 season with 4,039 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes. But the Eagles never fully responded a team to that success, going 9-7 then losing in the Wild Card round to the Seattle Seahawks. A lack of wide receivers didn't help — Wentz became he first quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 4,000 yards with no receiver catching at least 500 yards — but still, some reports indicated teammates were critical of Wentz's play style. He left the Eagles' playoff game with an injury.
The 2020 season was where Wentz's relationship with the Eagles fell apart. In April, Philadelphia had drafted Hurts in the second round, putting pressure on Wentz despite his extension just a year prior. And he did not perform well under that pressure, totaling a career-high 15 interceptions with a completion percentage below 60 percent.
Wentz was benched for Hurts in the third quarter of a Week 13 game vs. the Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia never turned back. Hurts flashed some two-way talent, while Wentz had still led the league in interceptions thrown (15), total turnovers (19), and sacks taken (50) despite playing just 12 games.
"I didn't know what the plan was fully. I was just told he was going in for the next play and the next series," Wentz said after he was benched, per ESPN. "So I didn't really know what was going on there. Obviously, that's frustrating as a competitor and just the personality that I have, I want to be the guy out there. But it is what it is. They made the call today.
At the end of the day we lost, as a team we lost, and that's what I think for me I'm most frustrated about. I don't like where we're at this season recordwise and I know I can play better and we can all be better going forward."
With Hurts already the team's established young starter after a lost 4-11-1 season, the Eagles' worst record since 2012, Philadelphia no longer needed Wentz. The injury issues, reported locker room issues, a rough 2020 season and Hurts blossoming into a star all culminated in March 2021, when Wentz was sent to the Colts.
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How long was Carson Wentz with Eagles?
Wentz spent five seasons with the Eagles. He was drafted second overall by Philadelphia in the 2016 NFL Draft, selected after Jared Goff. Wentz was then the Eagles' starter in every game he appeared in from 2016-20.
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Carson Wentz Eagles stats
Here's a look at Wentz's stats over five years in Philadelphia.
| Season | Team | Games | Wentz's Record | Completions-Attempts | Completion Percentage | Passing Yards | AVG | Passing TDs | INTs | Rating | Rushing Yards | Rushing TDs |
| 2016 | Eagles | 16 | 7-9 | 379-607 | 62.4% | 3,782 | 6.2 | 16 | 14 | 79.3 | 150 | 2 |
| 2017 | Eagles | 13 | 11-2 | 265-440 | 60.2% | 3,296 | 7.5 | 33 | 7 | 101.9 | 299 | 0 |
| 2018 | Eagles | 11 | 5-6 | 279-401 | 69.6% | 3,074 | 7.7 | 21 | 7 | 102.2 | 93 | 0 |
| 2019 | Eagles | 16 | 9-7 | 388-607 | 63.9% | 4,039 | 6.7 | 27 | 7 | 93.1 | 243 | 1 |
| 2020 | Eagles | 12 | 3-8-1 | 251-437 | 57.4% | 2,620 | 6.0 | 16 | 15 | 72.8 | 276 | 5 |
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How many teams has Carson Wentz played for?
Wentz has played for six NFL teams. That includes five years with the Eagles, then a span of five different teams in a five-year span.
Here's a brief rundown of Wentz's career timeline:
- Philadelphia Eagles, 2016-20
- Indianapolis Colts, 2021
- Washington Commanders, 2022
- Los Angeles Rams, 2023
- Kansas City Chiefs, 2024
- Minnesota Vikings, 2025
MORE: Full breakdown of Carson Wentz's career stats, teams timeline