While Carson Wentz has spent the first nine weeks of the NFL season on the couch waiting for an opportunity, it looks like that wait is over. Reports are that Wentz will be joining Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams ahead of their Week 10 matchup with the division-rival Seattle Seahawks.
With Stafford dealing with a thumb injury and the team not getting the production they were looking for out of Brett Rypien last week, the signing makes sense for both parties involved.
Let’s take a closer look at Wentz and his career and what led him to Los Angeles for another NFL chance.
Who Is Carson Wentz?
Wentz was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved to North Dakota with his family at the age of three. He attended and played quarterback and defensive back for the football team at Century High School in Bismarck, ND. Wentz also played basketball and baseball at the school during that time.
Wentz wasn’t a highly recruited player out of high school and did not command the sort of attention a typical high NFL Draft pick would get. As a result, Wentz decided to stay close to home and committed to North Dakota State, a D1AA powerhouse program right in his own backyard.
Wentz’s Time at North Dakota State
Wentz redshirted his first season at North Dakota State, and while he saw limited action in his second and third seasons with the Bison, 2014 and 2015 were his time to shine. He became the Bison’s starting QB during his junior year in 2014 and led NDSU to a 15–1 record and a national championship title over Illinois State.
Entering his fifth and final season with the program, Wentz was once again the starting quarterback, but this season would not go as smoothly.
He started the first six games of the season before breaking his wrist against South Dakota State. Wentz missed the next eight games of the season due to the injury but was cleared in time to play in another national championship game at the end of the season.
The Bison won the game, securing their fifth straight title, and Wentz was named the Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.
Wentz’s Time in The NFL
In the 2016 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Wentz in the first round with the No. 2 overall pick — becoming the highest-selected FCS quarterback taken in draft history.
Wentz spent the first five seasons of his career with the Eagles, where his performance would be very up and down. In 2017, the year Philadelphia won the Super Bowl with backup Nick Foles, Wentz was on an NFL MVP-type season before being injured in Week 14 against the Rams.
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However, from that point on, Wentz was unable to regain the magic he once had during that season and found himself being traded to the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the 2021 campaign. Wentz lasted only one season with the Colts before he was once again traded, this time to the Washington Commanders.
His stint with the Commanders was also a brief one, as he was released by the team in February following the 2022 season and has found himself out of the league waiting for another opportunity ever since.
As of today, Wentz is reported to be signing with the Rams and hoping for a chance to stick with Los Angeles and continue what was once a promising NFL career.
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