NFL
Carson Wentz inked his name on a four-year extension that will keep him as the Eagles QB through 2024. The deal was worth $128 million with over $107 million guaranteed.
Wentz was selected with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Some were skeptical of him since he played for a small school at North Dakota State University. They were unsure if he could compete at a high level when playing against significantly better talent.
Outside of playing at a small school, Wentz displayed all of the right qualities that an NFL team would want in their QB. Going into the draft, he drew comparisons to that of Ben Roethlisberger.
After the Eagles let go of Nick Foles, it was clear that the Eagles saw Wentz as their franchise QB. It was only a matter of time before we saw the contract extension.
This leaves the question, is Wentz worth $128 million?
Wentz, when healthy is the best QB in the NFC East. Dak is his only real competition and has yet to prove he can win without a strong supporting cast. As for the Giants and Redskins, we have not seen Jones or Haskins play so we can’t say for sure how good they are.
In his second year, Wentz was on his way to win MVP of the league. However, in week 14 against the Rams, he dove across the goal line with his leg getting smashed between two defenders. The TD got called back due to a holding call. Wentz got up and managed four more plays before he threw his last pass of the season which ended up being a TD.
It was later confirmed that Wentz tore his ACL and LCL and would be shut down for the rest of the season. If not for the injury he would have undoubtedly won MVP of the league. Even missing three games, he managed to throw for nearly 3,300 yds, 33 TDs, and only 7 INTs with a 101.9 passer rating.
Grateful for this opportunity and excited for the future! ?? #FlyEaglesFly #AO1 pic.twitter.com/1Cxn12lciD
— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) June 6, 2019
When Wentz is playing at his highest level, there should be no questioning whether or not he deserves the $128 million. The problem stems from the injury department. Since entering the league three years ago, he was yet to stay 100% healthy for an entire season.
His rookie year he fractured a rib. While he still played all 16 games that year, it is still an injury. His second season, as mentioned before, he tore his ACL and LCL. That injury even leaked into last season when he missed the first two games. He then once again missed the last three regular-season games and the postseason this time from back spasms.
It is a smart move by the Eagles to extend him now before the market yet again goes up. If they had waited until next season, they might have had to dish out a couple more million. It was also a smart move by Wentz to take the money while he can get it. If he suffers another injury next season, the Eagles may not have been willing to commit to him long term.
Overall, no one can speculate whether Wentz is worth $128 million. Only time will tell that. If he can indeed stay healthy, this extension will be a great move. However, if he cannot, the Eagles are going to be stuck with nothing but an injury prone QB that won’t be available for the postseason.
