The Los Angeles Rams are giving Carson Wentz a chance to prove he can still provide value on an NFL roster, and the arrangement will not cost them very much.
Wentz on Tuesday signed a 1-year deal with the Rams to serve as the backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Wentz’s base salary will be a prorated amount of the $1.17M veteran minimum. The 30-year-old also received a $150,000 signing bonus.
When you consider that Wentz signed a four-year, $128M extension with the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the 2019 season, it is stunning that he is playing under the veteran minimum as a backup. There had to have been other teams that were willing to pay him that amount to serve as their No. 2, so perhaps Wentz finally realized that he is almost certainly not going to get a shot to start this season.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also wondered this week if it is possible for the Rams to want to get a look at Wentz to consider keeping him as a starter next season, but that seems unlikely.
Wentz was the No. 2 overall pick by the Eagles in 2016. He made the Pro Bowl and played at an MVP level in 2017 before suffering a torn ACL. Nick Foles famously came in and played great as his replacement, leading the team to a Super Bowl win.
Though the Eagles kept Wentz for three more seasons, the 30-year-old never quite played back to his MVP form. Philadelphia moved on from him after his poor 2020 season during which the team went 3-8-1 with him as the starter.
After his Eagles career, Wentz played one season each with the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders. He battled some injuries last season and was eventually benched for poor play.
Wentz began exploring potential backup jobs during the offseason and reportedly had mutual interest with at least one top contender. He may not have been willing to play for the veteran minimum then, but he is now.
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