Five Trade Destinations For Carson Wentz If the Colts Decide He's Too Expensive
Carson Wentz is coming off a pretty good season as starting quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis went 9-8 and just missed the playoffs while Wentz threw 27 touchdown passes and a few of the most outrageous interceptions you'll ever seen. The one thing we know is that Wentz isn't the longterm answer in Indy, especially at the current price.
There's a belief that #Colts QB Carson Wentz will "'probably" be traded or released before March 19th, per @mortreport. That's when $15M in base salary becomes guaranteed. His future in Indianapolis looks "bleak."
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 13, 2022
RE: Carson Wentz & the #Colts
— Spotrac (@spotrac) February 13, 2022
$15M of his 2022 salary is already fully guaranteed (w/ no offsets)
Another $7M of that salary + a $5M roster bonus fully guarantees on March 18th.
So before March 18th
Release: $15M Dead Cap/Cash
Trade: $0 Dead Cap
So it makes sense that the short Carson Wentz season could be over. There are a few teams that might want to trade for a guy of Wentz if the price is right. And if the price is wrong, there should be even more teams where Wentz would be an upgrade, even if he won't get you to the Super Bowl.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
They're leaving the door open for Tom Brady, but he retired like a week ago. Unless Brady gives them a serious indication he's considering coming back, they need to move on. Chris Godwin is a free agent, but has indicated he wants to keep playing opposite Mike Evans. Wentz would probably look pretty decent in an offense that just had a middle-aged guy throw for about 80 touchdowns and 10,000 yards over the last two seasons.
Cleveland Browns
Can the Browns really suffer through another year with Baker Mayfield? Wentz was better in just about every category and would only cost a few million more than Mayfield this season. It's not the kind of quarterback move that would make Odell Beckham Jr. come back, but the Browns have seen much worse over the last few decades.
Denver Broncos
Wentz throws a football for a living and is on the trade block so legally the Broncos must be mentioned as a possible destination. The search for Peyton Manning's successor has been going on for more than a decade and what makes more sense than John Elway landing another ex-Colts QB? You know, as long as Andrew Luck remains happily retired.
Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray is coming off another strong season and he just took the Cardinals to the playoffs for the first time in his career. They lost to the Rams in the Wild Card Round and suddenly there's trouble in paradise. Kliff Kingsbury is reportedly looking at alternatives and if Murray goes, Wentz could buy the Cardinals a year.
Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson could be on the trade block which means the Seahawks will be in need of a new quarterback. Geno Smith was passable in three starts last season, but is an unrestricted free agent so it's not even a certainty that they have someone available who has been in their system. Wentz could step in for a season while Pete Carroll ponders life after Russell Wilson. Who knows what a season of Wentz could do for his thoughts about retirement.