Sunday will be billed as a Carson Wentz revenge game when the former Eagles quarterback — and one of the most polarizing Philadelphia athletes in recent memory — faces his old team.
Wentz will officially start against the Eagles when they square off with the Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell announced the news on Friday, noting that starter J.J. McCarthy is still recovering from a high-ankle sprain.
Wentz has a complicated history in Philly. He was drafted to be the Eagles’ franchise QB in 2016 only to be traded a few years later following the emergence of Jalen Hurts.
But Wentz didn’t lean into the revenge narrative when he spoke with reporters this week. Asked on Wednesday if facing the Eagles held any special significance, Wentz said, “Not really.”
“Maybe earlier in my career I’d have a different feeling,” Wentz said. “But you look over there, and I’m not sure if there’s anybody on the defensive side that I played with. It just looks different. So it’s another opponent. I have a lot of respect for those guys. There are still guys in that organization, a lot of good people that I still have a lot of care for and respect for. But at the same time, that feels like multiple lifetimes ago at this point.”
Carson Wentz, Howie Roseman, Jeffrey Lurie, Doug Pedreson
Philadelphia Eagles first-round draft pick Carson Wentz, second from left, poses with his jersey along with vice president of football operations Howie Roseman, owner Jeffrey Lurie and head coach Doug Pedreson before a news conference at the NFL football teams' training facility, Friday, April 29, 2016, in Philadelphia. The North Dakota State quarterback was selected as the second overall pick in the draft. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)AP
A lot has happened since Wentz last suited up for the Eagles.
Wentz played four seasons in Philadelphia and was the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft. He had his best season in 2017, playing at an MVP level (3,296 passing yards, 33 touchdowns in 13 games) before a knee injury cut his season short. Wentz was forced to watch from the sidelines as backup quarterback Nick Foles led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title.
That’s right around when things started to go downhill for Wentz. During the Super Bowl run, Wentz expressed displeasure to other injured teammates that the Eagles were succeeding without him, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. That caused a rift in the locker room.
Wentz resumed his starting role in 2018. After the Eagles were bounced early from the playoffs, a report from PhillyVoice revealed some Eagles found Wentz to be “selfish” and “egotistical.” That was refuted by Zach Ertz, Lane Johnson and others. Still, the situation was dicey.
Then, after Wentz had a solid 2019 season, the Eagles drafted Hurts in the second round of the 2020 draft. Howie Roseman said he wanted the team to be a “quarterback factory.” But the move signaled that Philadelphia’s front office wasn’t sold on Wentz as the franchise leader.
Wentz started the 2020 season, went 3-9-1 and was benched in favor of Hurts.
“When you have Carson and Jalen, now you have two alphas in the room. They both want to play, and they both want to start,” former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said in a recent interview. “When things were going sideways for us as an offense a little bit, you could kind of feel that tension a little between those two.”
Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks Jalen Hurts (2) and Carson Wentz
Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks Jalen Hurts (2) and Carson Wentz warm up before an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints on Dec 13, 2020, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.AP Photo/Rich Schultz
That tension came to an end in March 2021, when Wentz was traded to the Colts.
Asked this week about his time in Philadelphia, Wentz said he’s “thankful for it.”
“It was quite the rollercoaster over there,” Wentz said. “Winning the Super Bowl even though I was hurt, right here (at U.S. Bank Stadium). I’m thankful for so many things. I grew up as a man. I got married. I had a kid while I was there. So there are so many life changes that took place there. Grateful for my time there. Obviously it came to an end rather abruptly. All the things, everyone knows all that. But grateful for all the opportunities I had over there.”
The Eagles trading Wentz and riding with Hurts turned out to be the right move.
Hurts has guided the Eagles to four consecutive playoff berths and two Super Bowl appearances in the last three seasons. He was named Super Bowl LIX MVP after throttling the Chiefs, 40-22, in February, accounting for 293 total yards and three touchdowns.
Wentz, meanwhile, has struggled to stick. Last month, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to start for six different teams in consecutive seasons. After flaming out in Indianapolis, Wentz played for the Commanders (2022), Rams (2023) and Chiefs (2024). He started one game vs. the Eagles with Washington, throwing for 211 yards in a 24-8 defeat.
Wentz will be hoping for a different result on Sunday. But if you believe what he said earlier this week, Wentz won’t necessarily be hoping for revenge against his former team.
“Life’s a journey,” Wentz said. “Life’s just different. It’s one of those things where I don’t take things for granted. I have a different appreciation for things that maybe I wish I had a little bit different back then. But you live, you learn and you grow. That’s all you can do.”
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