It won’t cost the Los Angeles Rams much for Carson Wentz to demonstrate that he can still be a valuable member of an NFL team.
Wentz, who will backup quarterback Matthew Stafford, inked a one-year contract with the Rams on Tuesday. Wentz’s basic pay will be a prorated portion of the $1.17 million veteran minimum, per Field Yates of ESPN. In addition, the 30-year-old got a $150,000 signing bonus.
It is astonishing that Wentz is playing as a backup for the Philadelphia Eagles for the veteran minimum when you take into account that he inked a 4-year, $128 million agreement with the team before the 2019 campaign. Wentz may have finally come to the realisation that he is unlikely to receive a chance to start this season since other clubs must have been prepared to pay him that much to have him as their No. 2.
Although it seems improbable, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk questioned this week whether the Rams may want to see Wentz before deciding to keep him as a starter the next season.
The Eagles selected Wentz with the second overall pick in 2016. Before tearing his ACL in 2017, he was an MVP and made the Pro Bowl. As his legendary substitute, Nick Foles entered the game and performed admirably, helping the club win the Super Bowl.
Wentz, thirty, never quite returned to his MVP level of performance, even though the Eagles retained him for three more seasons. Following his disappointing 2020 year, in which the club finished 3-8-1 while he was the starter, Philadelphia parted ways with him.
Wentz spent one season playing for the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Commanders after leaving the Eagles. Last season, he struggled with ailments and was finally benched due to subpar performance.
Wentz allegedly expressed interest in a backup position with at least one of the main contenders throughout the summer. Even if he wasn’t ready to play for the veteran minimum back then, he is today.