Colts Preparing To Move On From QB Carson Wentz?

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (per Matt Mullin) reported Sunday that the situation between the Colts and QB Carson Wentz looks “bleak.”

Wentz received no assurances from the Colts following a disappointing end to the regular season in which they failed to qualify for the playoffs after a loss to the Jaguars.

According to Mortensen, Wentz will probably be traded or released before March 19 when $15 million of his base salary for the 2022 season becomes fully guaranteed.

Wentz, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Eagles back in 2016. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $26.7 million rookie contract that included a $16.7 million signing bonus when the Eagles picked up his fifth-year option that would have cost them $22.78 million for the 2020 season. 

The Eagles signed Wentz to a four-year, $128 million extension going into the 2019 season that included $107 million in guarantees. However, Philadelphia opted to trade Wentz to the Colts for first- and third-round picks.

According to OverTheCap.com, releasing Wentz this offseason would result in $13,294,119 of cap savings and $15 million of dead money. However, trading him would free up $28,294,119 and create no dead money.

In 2021, Wentz appeared in all 17 games for the Colts and completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 215 yards and one touchdown.