Why Eagles' QB move landed Carson Wentz with Vikings in key backup combo decision

Billy Heyen

Why Eagles' QB move landed Carson Wentz with Vikings in key backup combo decision image

Carson Wentz will start at quarterback against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Now in a Minnesota Vikings uniform, Wentz gets the nod against the team that once chose him No. 2 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The Eagles didn't hand Wentz to the Vikings. He's already bounced around since leaving Philly.

But it's actually the Eagles who more or less directly facilitated Wentz's free agent signing in Minnesota this offseason.

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How Eagles helped Carson Wentz land in Philly

Late in the preseason, the Eagles were dealing with an injury to their backup QB, Tanner McKee. It wasn't clear he'd be ready for Week 1 to be QB2 behind Jalen Hurts.

They didn't want to take any chances, so they swung a trade for a backup quarterback fill-in.

The guy they got was Sam Howell, from the Vikings. Minnesota had only traded for Howell in April, but the Eagles were able to swing a deal for him in August.

Howell joined Philly, but the Vikings needed a new backup quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy.

Wentz was still a free agent after leaving the Kansas City Chiefs.

And so the Vikings evidently reached a deal with Wentz that made them comfortable sending Howell to Philadelphia.

And now, a couple months later, Wentz starts for the Vikings against the Eagles.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle