NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Carson Wentz once again will mostly be a spectator on the sidelines during a Super Bowl appearance by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Seven years after he watched his backup Nick Foles win the MVP after delivering the Eagles their first Super Bowl title, Wentz is back on the big stage as a backup to Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs prepare to take on his former team and his former backup, Jalen Hurts.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Wentz said. “It's been a journey for sure. Feels like a couple of lifetimes ago. Grateful for all the stops along the way. It definitely didn’t go exactly as planned when I first got drafted, but I’m thankful to still be playing the game I love.”
Wentz was supposed to be the quarterback to lead Philadelphia to greatness after the team traded a boatload of capital to draft him second overall in 2016.
Wentz didn't take long to make a major impact. In his second season as a starter, Wentz helped turn the Eagles into a contender and was an MVP candidate before a major knee injury in Week 14 after helping the Eagles improve to 11-2 as NFC East champions.
Foles took over and put together one of the greatest postseason runs, throwing for 352 yards and three TDs in an NFC title game win over Minnesota and then outdueling Tom Brady in the Super Bowl when he threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns and also caught a TD pass. Wentz could only watch.
"It definitely was bittersweet without a doubt," he said. “It's something you dream of as a kid. You dream of being on that stage and playing that game. Then life unfolds and you get that opportunity and you’re in street clothes."
That didn't end Wentz's run with the Eagles but he never again reached the heights he achieved in 2017.
Wentz was shut down with a back injury late in 2018 and missed the playoffs again that season and his popularity waned as the years went on. He got the chance to appear in the playoffs in 2019 but left a wild-card loss to Seattle in the first quarter with a concussion.
The Eagles then drafted Hurts in the second round in 2020 and moved on from Wentz after that season, trading him to Indianapolis. But Wentz still has fond memories of his time in Philadelphia, including getting married and having his first child there, and the relationships he built with his teammates.
“A lot of good times,” he said. "Winning the Super Bowl was amazing. A lot of memories and friendships that I’ll have the rest of my life. There are definitely no hard feelings. You wish it would have went a different way, all those things. But you can’t really kind of have any regrets on that front.”
Wentz has been a nomad since then, spending the 2021 season in Indianapolis, the 2022 season in Washington and then signing midway through 2023 as a backup for the Los Angeles Rams.
This season he joined the Chiefs as the backup to Mahomes and started one game in Week 18 when Kansas City rested most of its starters.
He still keeps tabs on the Eagles and isn't surprised by the success Hurts has had.
“Everybody knew coming in he was an athlete, but I was impressed by how accurate he was,” Wentz said. “He threw the ball well, he spun it well, he was accurate from the start. He seemed sharp and had a good head on his shoulders, so kudos to him."
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
