Quarterback Carson Wentz had a stellar season that made him an MVP favorite end in a December 2017 game against the Rams. Wentz is now a member of the Rams.
With the Rams on a bye, coach Sean McVay wasn’t available for his usual in-season Wednesday press conference. When he next meets with reporters, he’ll surely be asked about the decision to sign Wentz, who went completely ignored after being released in the offseason by the Commanders.
At a time when quarterbacks like Dresser Winn (or is it Winn Dresser?) and Tanner Morgan (or is it Morgan Tanner?) have found employment, it was just a matter of time before Wentz’s phone rang. Now that it has, it’s proper to wonder whether Wentz is only an emergency option aimed at getting the Rams through the 2023 season, or whether the Rams are thinking about the possibility of making him the starter for 2024.
He has started 92 games with the Eagles, Colts, and Commanders.
Frankly, if they want to move on from Stafford, they need to hope he retires, or accepts a trade. His $31 million salary for 2024 became fully-guaranteed on March 17, 2023. Another $18.5 million in allocations for past bonus payments will push his cap number next year to $49.5 million.
The other possibility would be to trade Stafford. At this point in his career, however, who would give up real value and commit to $31 million for 2024? (Another $10 million in 2025 salary becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2024 league year.)
When the Rams traded up for the first pick in the 2016 draft, some initially thought Wentz would be the choice, over Jared Goff. Now, Wentz is finally a Ram.
It’s a reasonable deal for L.A. Per a source with knowledge of the terms, he’ll get the prorated veteran minimum plus a signing bonus of $150,000.
The real question is whether the Rams just wanted someone other than Brett Rypien or Dresser Winn to help get through the balance of the season, or whether they’re thinking about Wentz as a potential starter for 2024, and perhaps beyond.