If there was any doubt about how the Philadelphia Eagles felt about quarterback Carson Wentz, all of that disappeared courtesy of a new contract.
Two years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles culminated a 13-3 regular season with three postseason victories and the franchise’s first NFL championship since 1960. It was quite the team performance considering the Birds lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz in Week 14 with a knee injury that shelved him for the remainder of 2017.
Of course, enter backup Nick Foles and the rest is Super Bowl LII history. He would lead Doug Pederson’s club down the stretch and in the playoffs, earning game Most Valuable Player honors in the team’s win over the New England Patriots.
Foles would start the year this past season but eventually gave way to Wentz. But the second overall pick in 2016 did not look like himself throughout the year and it was Foles to the rescue down the stretch and once again, in the playoffs. This offseason, the Eagles allowed him to test free agency this year and he’s now the main man with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So although Wentz has had some issues staying healthy these past two seasons, general manager Howie Roseman and the organization appear to be all in on a player that throughout most of 2017 looked like the frontrunner for NFL MVP honors. That’s because the franchise has announced that it has agreed to a four-year extension with the 26-year-old signal-caller. And from all indications, the three-year pro could not be more excited about his future in the City of Brotherly Love.
All told, it’s quite the deal for the talented performer who may have been rushed back onto the field a little too soon in 2018. In any case, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Eagles’ signal-caller is inking a four-year, $128 million extension.
As a rookie in ’16, Wentz started all 16 games, throwing for 3,782 yards and almost as many interceptions (14) as touchdown passes. But the former North Dakota State standout took the quantum leap one year later, throwing for 33 scores and just seven picks in 13 appearances before going down in a December win at Los Angeles against the Rams. This past season, the 6’5”, 237-pound hurler hit on 69.6 percent of his throws and three times as many TD passes (21) and INTs (7) in 11 outings. But he also fumbled nine times and lost six of those bobbles, looking far too tentative at times.
Now more than a year removed from that knee injury and obviously looking forward, the Eagles are counting on Wentz performing like the player that opened plenty of eyes in 2017 and a quarterback the franchise moved up in the first round of the draft the previous year.