2021 NFL Quarterback Power Rankings: How far ahead is Patrick Mahomes?
By Randy Gurzi
20. Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts
Last season was an absolute disaster for Carson Wentz but to put it all on him would be a terrible mistake. The Philadelphia Eagles seemed to be doing all they could to prove Wentz wasn’t worth the big contract they gave him.
First, they reached on Jalen Reagor in the first round despite having Justin Jefferson on the board — who was a legit No. 1 threat whereas Reagor screamed No. 2 wideout. For proof of that, they traded up to No. 10 in the 2021 NFL Draft to get DeVonta Smith to be the No. 1 wide receiver.
If that wasn’t enough, they also took Jalen Hurts in the second round, less than a calendar year after giving Wentz a contract worth more than $100 million. Some saw it as a way to get a gadget player on the field but teams don’t draft gadget quarterbacks in Round 2 when they have a $100 million quarterback.
So without much help and a quarterback on his heels, Wentz struggled in 2020 and then was gone this offseason ‚— as was his head coach Doug Pederson, which also proves it wasn’t all on the quarterback.
Having said all that, Wentz walked away a winner as he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts who have a better roster as well as head coach Frank Reich who was the offensive coordinator in Philly during the 2017 season when Wentz was playing at an MVP level. Expect him to be more reminiscent of that player than the one we saw in 2020.