Carson Wentz Injury Leaves Colts in Limbo

For the Colts and Carson Wentz, there are no good options. And worse, there are no predictable options either. Out since Thursday with a foot injury, the word is that instead of heading straight to surgery, Wentz is going to rest his foot and begin a rehab program. If that doesn’t work, then surgery would be the way to go, but of course, waiting to go the surgical route will delay his return to the field.

The hope in waiting on surgery is that with rest and rehab, it’s possible he’s ready to play in Week 1. If he ends up needing surgery, which now appears to be the case, a Week 1 start is likely off the table. Either way, having Wentz miss a substantial part of training camp will be a setback for the quarterback looking to reboot his career after the move out of Philadelphia. It’s also an issue for Indianapolis, a team with championship aspirations, but one that is now on its fourth starting quarterback in four years, and maybe a fifth.

The Eagles will also watch the situation carefully. The draft pick they got from the Colts in the trade for Wentz is conditional on the number of offensive snaps he takes this season. If he plays 75% of the snaps, or 70% and leads Indianapolis to the playoffs, the Eagles get the Colts’ first-round pick in 2022. If he doesn’t reach those thresholds, the pick becomes a second.

With this kind of uncertainty, it’s no surprise that odds for the Colts have come off the NFL odds board. They are still listed as +1100 to win the AFC which is certain to rise in the coming days, while the AFC South odds (which they led) and their regular-season win total — previously set at ten — are now OTB.

Indy’s Other Quarterback Options

The Colts signed former Packers backup quarterback Brett Hundley over the weekend, but he’s only been added for depth. Jacob Eason will be getting the first-team snaps in Wentz’s absence.

But Eason isn’t ready. If Indy was forced to go with him as their starting quarterback for any significant amount of time, this season will not go as planned. That would essentially concede the AFC South to Tennessee. But if not Hundley, not Eason, and not an injured Wentz, then who?

Nick Foles

As crazy as it sounds, one of the top names on the trade market is Nick Foles. The man who will never have to pay for a drink in Philadelphia after filling in for an injured Wentz is one of the top options to do it again four years later and a couple of states to the west. Chicago has Justin Fields and Andy Dalton, and they are currently paying Foles $6.67 million to hold a clipboard.

A Nick Foles trade for a late-round draft pick would make sense for both teams.

Gardner Minshew

Minshew mania is no longer a thing in Jacksonville. The cutoff short-wearing, mullet-sporting, mustachioed one is firmly on the bench now that Trevor Lawrence has arrived. With 20 starts under his belt, Minshew has experience. And his 37 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions shows that he actually protects the football.

He’s cheaper than Foles, and he’s the primary backup in Jacksonville. So the trade cost might be higher. But considering the first five games of the Colts’ schedule – Seahawks, Rams, Titans, Dolphins, and Ravens – having someone with experience and maneuverability may be enough to save the season.

Marcus Mariota

As often as the Raiders and Raiders fans have flirted with a quarterback other than Derek Carr, he is cemented as their starter. At this point, only an injury would put Marcus Mariota on the field.

He did play in one game last season, and he played well. And even though he has never and will never live up to his draft status, Mariota is an experienced quarterback who has won in the postseason. In fact, he has more playoff wins than either Wentz or Carr. He also probably wouldn’t require a huge draft pick package to get him. Mariota is making $3.5 million this year and is a free agent in 2022.

Jimmy Garoppolo

This is only someone to target if Wentz is going to be out for an extended period of time. Jimmy G is less of a stop-gap and more of a replacement for Wentz. Plus, the 49ers still insist he’s their starting quarterback ahead of Trey Lance.

Garoppolo is worth mentioning because eventually Lance will start, and Jimmy G’s cap hit this season is $26 million, with another $27 million due in 2022. However, he can be cut this offseason with very little penalty.