Exclusive: NFL Insider on Carson Wentz at Commanders being the last chance saloon after messy divorces with Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts

Carson Wentz was surprised, even shocked, to be traded from the Indianapolis Colts to the Washington Commanders this off-season. The veteran quarterback was traded just a year after the team acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles to be the team's long-term solution at quarterback.

He was also taken aback and caught off guard by the comments of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who called his one-year stay in Indianapolis a "mistake." Following the trade, Irsay remarked:

"I think the worst thing you can do is have a mistake and try to keep living with it going forward. For us, it was something we had to move away from as a franchise. It was very obvious."

Despite taking the high road publicly, the quarterback was not happy about his former boss' unexpected and harsh comments Still, he publicly handled the situation professionally, shrugging it off and even laughing it off at times. In an appearance on the Colin Cowherd podcast, the former Eagles star said:

"I mean, it is what it is, you know. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. I thought last year was a really fun year. I thought we did some incredible things, came up short at the end. Obviously, I struggled down the stretch there and timing was poor."

While Irsay pointed the finger at the quarterback for his slow start and even worse finish, the 29-year-old quarterback is trying to be classy about the situation, all while accepting blame for his performance and failing to lead the Colts to the playoffs last season as he gets to embark on a new chapter in D.C.

As Wentz preps for his fresh start with the Commanders during OTA's this week with his new teammates, he has wondered what went wrong in Indy with his former teammates. He is aware that he played poorly to start the season and down the stretch, which was certainly not up to his standards.

A glance at his overall stats would suggest he had a good season in 2021. But it doesn't tell the whole story. Wentz threw for more than 3,500 yards and 27 touchdowns in his lone season with the Colts and had seven interceptions, which tied his career-low.

Carson Wentz and Indianapolis Colts' messy divorce

The breaking point for Irsay in Indianapolis was the offense's meltdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the worst team in the league, during the final week of the season.

With a place in the playoffs on the line, the quarterback was sacked six times and had two turnovers while generating only 11 points in a season-ending loss to the Jaguars. The Colts' playoff hopes were dashed, and Irsay had seen enough.

The quarterback was in his backyard at his house in Indianapolis on a beautiful day in early March when his cellphone rang. Colts general manager Chris Ballard, who has also been critical of Wentz, informed the quarterback that he was being traded to Washington after only one year.

He was shocked. He had to change teams, pack up another house, and move his wife and kids to another home in another city for the second time in a year's time. It's been hard on the veteran star, his wife, and his family personally, as he also manages a foundation off the field.

His AO1 Foundation aims to serve children with life-threatening illnesses, an essential aspect of their lives. He has hosted charity softball games with fellow NFL players to help raise awareness and money for the Foundation and has another game planned for next month.

Wentz is no stranger to surprising phone calls or being thrown a curveball in his six years in the NFL. In fact, he was hunting geese in a cornfield in New Jersey back in 2016 when he got a surprise phone call. It was then Eagles head coach Doug Pederson who informed him that the team had just traded Sam Bradford and he would be the team's starting quarterback.

As much as he loved the passion of diehard Eagles fans, personally, Wentz felt more at home in Indy. It felt more like the slower pace he was used to growing up in Bismarck, North Dakota, with a population of 73,000 people compared to the millions in the Delaware Valley.

The quarterback tries to tune out the negativity and not pay attention to the different reports and rumors, but he's not oblivious. He is a realist and has been honest with himself, as he knows that his play the last few years, including his lone season in Indianapolis, was sub-par. However, he never expected the owner of an organization to call him out the way Irsay did.

This is not the first time the quarterback's play, leadership, and relationships with teammates have come into question, and he has also been labeled injury-prone.

Wentz's history with leadership concerns and injuries

The former first-round pick endured similar issues behind the scenes during his first five years with the Eagles.

Character and leadership concerns arose multiple times during his tenure, including during the Eagles' Super Bowl championship run in 2017. Some teammates didn't particularly like how Wentz handled himself while he was sidelined with a torn ACL and LCL as the Eagles played for the Lombardi Trophy in Minneapolis.

Some felt the franchise quarterback at the time did not handle the success of the team, and especially Nick Foles' epic Super Bowl performance as well as he could have when he out-dueled Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns and became the first player in NFL history to throw and catch a touchdown in a Super Bowl. Foles not only led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title with one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history, but he was named MVP, and a statue of Foles and Pederson was built outside Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles.

An injured Wentz watched that improbable playoff run, naturally wishing he was the one leading the Eagles' Super Bowl charge. He had to fight through those complicated feelings while watching his close friend shine on the biggest stage for the team when he was the one that helped get them there but ultimately couldn't play. It was tough for him, and it was hard for him to hide that at times. He admitted in an interview in 2019:

"I know I'm not perfect. I know I have flaws."

Many of his teammates thought the narrative and reports were untrue and completely overblown. Others didn't think what transpired was a big deal and were sympathetic to his situation.

He has been described as a great teammate and a person with great character, but in a large NFL locker room with many different personalities and backgrounds, not everyone will see eye to eye at all times.

While the quarterback and the Eagles publicly dismissed any jealousy, tension, or issues, more problems came to the forefront as the quarterback continued to battle injuries and miss games. When the Eagles unexpectedly drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round in 2020, it was the beginning of the end.

Wentz and his camp couldn't believe Philadelphia drafted another potential franchise quarterback early in the 2020 NFL Draft when they had made a significant financial commitment to the quarterback a year earlier. In 2019, the quarterback signed a four-year $128 million contract with more than $66 million guaranteed.

He received a courtesy call from Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and Pederson before the Eagles picked Hurts, who slipped to 53rd in the draft that year. It was not a comfortable phone call. He was expecting the Eagles to draft a dynamic player to help the offense, not his potential replacement so quickly.

The Eagles grew tired and impatient because Wentz could not stay healthy and needed a reliable backup, as Foles was the perfect example. Roseman and the Eagles had to do what was best for the team, not their star quarterback.

Since coming into the NFL in 2016, Wentz has had a rib fracture, torn ACL, torn LCL, broken bone in his back, concussion, and foot and ankle injuries. Things continued to go south for Wentz in Philadelphia, who drafted him second overall in 2016, and Wentz wanted out and a fresh start.

From Philadelphia to Indianapolis and onwards to Washington

The fresh start in Indianapolis under head coach Frank Reich, who was his offensive coordinator for two seasons in Philadelphia, did not last long. One season and that's it. Another shocking development as both Reich and Wentz previously believed a fresh start was exactly what was needed to get his career back on track.

Wentz was sad when Reich left Philadelphia and had been highly excited to re-connect with the veteran coach in Indy as he was instrumental in the quarterback's development when he led the NFL in touchdowns in 2017 before getting hurt.

Reich loves Wentz as a person and as a player. They initially bonded during a pre-draft meeting in 2016 over football and their strong faith. Reich has wished him all the best now in Washington, where he believes he will be successful. Unlike Irsay, Reich didn't wholeheartedly put all the blame for the Colts' struggles on the quarterback.

During these difficult times, the injuries, and this unexpected career path that has now landed him in Washington, he has relied heavily on his faith.

This has been humbling for the quarterback, who was once viewed as an MVP caliber quarterback who was supposed to be the answer in Philadelphia for a decade. He's been traded twice, benched, hit with endless injuries, and called out publicly and privately by teammates and the owner. For a kid from North Dakota, that's not exactly what he envisioned coming out of college.

The quarterback firmly believes he can flourish with yet another fresh start in Washington, as he's familiar with the NFC East and is highly familiar with the Eagles, who he will now face twice a year.

All of the emotions you would expect will likely be there. Wentz expects to be excited and anxious in those games, especially when he travels back to Philadelphia for a prime-time Monday night game on November 14th at Lincoln Financial Field, where he will be in front of passionate and opinionated Eagles fans for the first time since he was benched and traded to the Colts.

"It will be weird," Wentz even admitted about facing his former team for the first time in the city he used to call home. As hard as it might be to swallow, he also knows he will likely be booed as his time in Philadelphia did not end well.

Carson Wentz in action for the Indianapolis Colts

A slew of personal battles for Wentz in 2022

Soon after the NFL schedule was released earlier this month, the new Commanders quarterback immediately took notice of four games. Two against Philadelphia, one back in Indianapolis against Reich and the Colts, and another against his other former coach to open the 2022 season.

Before the Commanders quarterback faces his former teams, he will face his former coach Doug Pederson, who benched Wentz for Hurts in 2020, in Washington's season opener. Here's another dramatic storyline that's in store for 2022.

Pederson pulled Wentz in the middle of a game in Green Bay in December 2020, and he never made another start or played another game for Philadelphia, who once viewed him as their franchise quarterback.

He never said another word publicly in Philadelphia either, declining all interview requests. A former NFL quarterback, who was directly aware of the situation, summed up the quarterback situation in Philadelphia in 2020 in one line:

"It was a bad marriage."

Wentz handled it with class. He was supportive of Hurts and was a good teammate during this challenging time. Pederson highly regards him as a player and person, despite his apparent struggles on the field and protecting the ball and himself. Pederson would regularly meet with Wentz and talk to him about protecting his body rather than fighting for an extra yard with his legs.

Wentz was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL that season and led the league in turnovers despite being benched for the final four and a half games. While Pederson thought the relationship could be repaired, the quarterback did not feel the same way, and Wentz did not want to be the backup. He wanted out of Philadelphia and got that wish.

Just two short years later, Wentz is energized and excited to call Washington home, his third in as many years. He hopes to make the most of it because if not, it could be game over.

Wentz's final chance

This could now be his last shot to prove he's a franchise quarterback. Perhaps the third time will be the charm. After being traded to Washington, Wentz quickly reached out to his new Washington teammates to try to develop chemistry and timing with his new receivers.

This week, the quarterback hit the field with his new teammates for the first time during Washington's OTAs at their headquarters. It might be late May, but the hard work that's being put in now tends to pay off come wintertime when players and teams are fighting to win games and fight for the NFL playoffs.

Wentz has been trying to connect and bond with his new teammates and coaches. He recently played a round of golf with fellow Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke and Turner in Virginia, a short drive from where the quarterback has begun working at the Commanders practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia.

The quarterback hopes to reinvent himself and become the quarterback he was in 2017 when he was an MVP candidate with a 11-2 record. A big key to having success is limiting the mistakes, which he knows has been an issue for him.

Multiple executives in Washington's front office believe their offense will shine with Wentz and their talented young receivers, including Terry McLaurin and first-round draft pick Jahan Dotson out of Penn State.

When Washington selected Dotson, Wentz was among the first people to reach out to the draft pick. Dotson did a double-take at his phone a handful of times, as he could not believe Wentz was texting him.

The Commanders like how he can throw deep balls and use his legs to extend plays and make plays, but of course, trying to extend plays has led to trouble for him. They also believe he is an intelligent player and a good decision maker despite his apparent struggles over the last few years. Commanders teammate Cole Holcomb was impressed with what he has seen of the quarterback so far in the early stages of OTAs this week:

"He's got a cannon. Dude can sling the ball. He's gonna extend our offense in terms of the length of the field. It'll help open up a lot of opportunities in the pass game."

Washington did a lot of homework on the available quarterbacks this off-season. Like Reich did a year ago, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is among those that firmly believe Wentz can regain form and become the player he was in 2017.

Wentz is not the only one in Washington that needs to win now. Rivera is heading into his third year with Washington, which has not had a winning season since 2016 and has had only two winning seasons since 2013.

Washington is starving for another title. They have not won a Super Bowl since 1991 and have had more than 30 starting quarterbacks during that period. Now, this is Wentz's team. Period. There's no competition for the starting quarterback back job between Wentz and Heinicke.

They took on his entire contract and his large cap hit because they believe he can rewrite the narrative and become the player he was in 2017. The quarterback has even reclaimed his original number 11 in Washington as he looks to reclaim his franchise quarterback title.

He will remain QB1 in Washington, as long as he plays like that.