Calling his five years with the team “an amazing journey”, defender Carson Wentz said goodbye on Friday to the Eagles, his former teammates and the city of Philadelphia.
Wentz posted a lengthy post on his Instagram account a day after league sources told ESPN he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round draft pick and a second-round conditional pick. from 2022 that could turn into a first-rounder.
He wrote in part, “As one chapter closes, another begins.”
In Indianapolis, Wentz will reunite with Colts head coach Frank Reich, his former Philadelphia offensive coordinator, and help fill the gap left by Philip Rivers’ retirement. The Eagles are likely to turn to Jalen Hurts, although they intend to compete for him as well, as they do not expect the starting job to automatically go to the second-year QB.
Trading with Wentz marks the end of a chapter and an unexpected year with the Eagles. He went from a former MVP candidate to supporting Hurts – a rookie second-round pick in 2020 – while his relationship with former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson disintegrated.
Wentz wanted to leave Philadelphia, even though the Eagles hired former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni as their new head coach.
Reich, who has been head coach of Indianapolis for the past three years, was Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator for Wentz’s first two NFL seasons in 2016 and ’17. With Reich in the lead, Wentz will take the reins of a Colts attack that ranked 10th in the NFL in total offense and ninth in last season’s mark.