The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs take center stage on Sunday at Super Bowl 59. With the Chiefs' opportunity for a three-peat and Saquon Barkley's historic season at the forefront of media headlines, this is certainly one to watch.
What's not being talked about? The full-circle moment for former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. He enters the game as the backup to Patrick Mahomes. This comes around eight years after he played a pivotal role in Philadelphia's first Super Bowl victory. Wentz has grown since the season in which the Eagles won Super Bowl 52
There's something else to discuss though. It still hits close to home when he looks across the sideline and sees the organization where his NFL career thrived.
"[Playing against Philadelphia] may be hard at first glance, it might be for a second, but for one, it's not the first time I've played against them," said Wentz, who has had stints with four different teams after being traded from Philadelphia. "There's a couple of familiar faces over there, but it is quite a different roster."
Carson Wentz and the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles
Where it hits close to home for Wentz is how special the 2017 Super Bowl-winning team was. He put up MVP numbers — 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions in just 13 games played.
That was, until the injury, of course...
In the third quarter of the 13th game, with his MVP campaign surging, Wentz took a snap at the two-yard line. He didn't find any open targets, so he scrambled right, took off, and leaped between two Los Angeles Rams defenders into the end zone for a touchdown.
But, that TD was called back due to penalty.
Carson limped to the huddle to run the next play. He threw his final TD pass of the season to Alshon Jeffery, and soon after, the then-second-year quarterback was taken to the locker room and evaluated.
A torn ACL was the diagnosis. We know how the story ended. Nick Foles stepped in. He led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win, and after that, Carson Wentz was never the same.
Though he was out of MVP contention due to the injury, Wentz still got to watch the team he put his body on the line for go out and win a championship. "It was a special year," Wentz said, "Obviously it finished with the Super Bowl... I'm grateful for that year. It was a lot of fun."
The pivot from franchise player to backup quarterback
It wasn't a direct pivot but rather a slow, drawn-out loss of belief in Wentz, who simply never got a chance to put his MVP-caliber self back on tape. He was traded to Indianapolis, where he got the opportunity to re-prove himself, but it never happened.
From Indy, he moved to play for the Washington Commanders, arch-rivals of the Eagles. He got his opportunities, but couldn't show the front office that he still had anything left in him. From there, he was released.
After his release from the Commanders in 2023, Wentz signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he could learn from Sean McVay, one of the best coaches in the NFL, and work behind Matthew Stafford, an esteemed veteran. It was there that he settled in as a backup.
With the Chiefs, the now-veteran quarterback adds a lot of experience to an already uber-talented group headed by Patrick Mahomes. Wentz gives the starting defense game-like looks on offense and provides his input in quarterback meetings.
Chiefs quarterback coach David Girardi puts it this way. "Someone like Carson, who has seen the game, can give a lot of perspective," Girardi told Inside the Iggles in an exclusive one-on-one interview.
Leaning on faith
Wentz has always been a big advocate for his faith, but it's that exact foundation that's allowed him to stay steady over the course of his tumultuous career. "It's been everything in my career," Wentz said. "I'm grateful that God got a hold of me when he did in college. Going through the ups and downs, highs and lows, life-changing things — I always go to my faith."
"In 2017, [I definitely leaned on my faith]," said Wentz, "Not being able to play but with the physical injury — I had never been injured," Wentz explained.
There were times where an entire fanbase was against Wentz, where his own body was against him, but he gives the praise to his constant faith for allowing him to push through it. He says that it's even allowed him to create a closer bond with his teammates. "I've bonded with a lot of guys over it. I've seen a lot of guys' lives change," Wentz explained.
Wentz is staying ready for the big game
Through his trust in the process, Wentz has found himself, and this Sunday, his new team competes for a Super Bowl, though in a different capacity. The Chiefs stand across from an Eagles team headed by Jalen Hurts.
Wentz got an opportunity to play with Hurts for what was a difficult 2020 COVID-19 season. He saw it right away from Hurts as a second-round rookie:
"[Jalen Hurts] has done a great job — I don't follow him closely, but obviously, he's had a lot of success," Wentz said, "I noticed it right when he came in. Everyone knew when he got drafted that he was a good athlete, he can make plays, and all of those things. I thought from the start that he threw the ball very accurately and he picked up the offense pretty quickly."
As for the Chiefs, the one-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Wentz must stay ready in the event that Mahomes would go down with an injury. Kansas City isn't worried about the backup's ability, though. "For us as a team, knowing that he's played well in this league," said Girardi, "He's very capable of going out and executing the offense."
It's something that stuck out right away to Girardi in training camp. Wentz's ability to make all of the throws impressed him, checking all of the boxes when it comes to commanding the Chiefs' offense.
"It gives you assurance, gives you confidence in that guy. And then not just us, but the team," Girardi said, "I mean, they see it too. They see his ability and things that he's able to get done. And so, you know, I do think that we're fortunate to have [Carson]."
Soon after the Super Bowl, Wentz is set to become pending free agent where he hopes to land somewhere good not only for himself but for his family.
Can the former uber-talented, 'franchise quarterback' get another shot to command an offense as the lead quarterback? Girardi thinks so.
"He can for sure be a starter for a variety of reasons. He has the ability, he has it from a physical standpoint, so he can make the throws, run around, he can create, he can extend plays, he's incredibly intelligent, you know? So when you put all those things together, and then with the experience that he's had, there's no question."
