Week 18 will almost certainly be Carson Wentz's final game as a member of the Washington Commanders. And it's fair to wonder whether the former No. 2 overall pick has a future in the sport at all.
Ron Rivera and the Commanders reinserted Wentz as the starting quarterback for a Week 17 tilt against the Cleveland Browns, clinging onto playoff hopes so slim that even one of the most respected coaches in the league seemingly underestimated how small the margin for error was.
What ensued was a 24-10 loss, which saw Wentz complete 16 of 28 pass attempts and throw three interceptions. The Commanders have been eliminated from the playoff race. And for a Week 18 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys that's now meaningless for Rivera and company, fifth-round pick Sam Howell will start, with Taylor Heinicke backing him up. Wentz will be inactive.
Until Daniel Snyder sells the team, Washington will have a hell of a time convincing any veteran quarterback with options to join the most toxic franchise in professional sports. But even with that acknowledged, Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew will arrive at the decision this offseason to release Wentz, who has an out in his contract.
Now 30, Wentz will be looking for his fourth team in as many seasons this offseason. This time around, he has almost no chance to get a starting job. If Tom Brady decides to continue playing, he'll be a free agent. It appears that Derek Carr, Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo will be other veteran free-agent options who are clearly superior starting options to Wentz.
It's unlikely he'll even have the chance to sign a deal like Mitch Trubisky did last offseason, where he could be the Week 1 starter even if it eventually becomes clear that he's just keeping the seat room for a rookie.
And this offseason won't be short on backup options, as the aforementioned Heinicke, Andy Dalton, Teddy Bridgewater, Gardner Minshew, Jameis Winston, Case Keenum, Jarrett Stidham, Marcus Mariota, Geno Smith, Jacoby Brissett, Cooper Rush, Mike White and Joe Flacco can all become free agents this offseason.
Wentz tore both his ACL and LCL in his left knee in December of 2017, ending his NFL MVP candidacy and opening the door for Nick Foles to eventually lead the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl title less than two months later. Wentz would miss the end of the 2018 season as well, after fracturing a vertebra in his back. There's no question that Wentz's physical ability has declined because of these two injuries, among others.
And given that he doesn't have a reputation as someone that teammates necessarily rally around, his future in the NFL -- if he even wants to have one -- is murky.
So much time has been dedicated to talking about how Foles has had one of the strangest careers in NFL history. As it turns out, so has Wentz, and it would be putting it lightly to say he's reached the fork in the road in a career that once felt like it would last 15-20 years.
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