The Washington Commanders released veteran quarterback Carson Wentz on Monday.
The Commanders officially moved on from the former first-round pick in a move that frees up a significant amount of cap space. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the release created $26.17 million in cap space for the team.
Releasing Carson Wentz saves the Commanders $26.17 million against their salary cap.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2023
Wentz spent only one season with the Commanders. He made eight appearances and seven starts and went 2-5. He threw for 1,755 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with just 6.4 yards/attempt.
Wentz has struggled to regain the form that helped him be an MVP finalist in 2017, and a return to the NFC East wasn’t quite what the doctor ordered. He threw 27 touchdowns last season with the Indianapolis Colts but was not nearly as successful in 2022.
Wentz’s diminishing returns since that sensational 2017 has dropped his stock mightily. There are always teams in need of quarterbacks though. So, don’t expect Carson Wentz to be out of a job for too long.
The move to dump Wentz wasn’t surprising. Head coach Ron Rivera revealed at the end of the season that Sam Howell is expected to be the starter next season.
In his career, Carson has thrown for 22,129 passing yards. He’s totaled 151 touchdowns and 66 interceptions. His career yards/attempt is 6.7. His best season still remains his 2017, in which he threw for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. He nearly returned to form in 2019 with a 27 touchdown-7 interception performance. But since then, Wentz has simply been too enigmatic to remain a consistent quarterback.
