Before the Indianapolis Colts officially cut ties with Carson Wentz by shipping him to the newly-branded Washington Commanders, head coach Frank Reich reportedly apologized to owner Jim Irsay at the end of the regular season, for pushing the front office to acquire the 29-year-old quarterback last spring.
The writing was on the wall for Wentz's exit, as his pitiful performance against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18 eliminated Indianapolis from playoff contention and exacerbated the problem. But the Colts were planning to part ways with Wentz well before their regular season finale. A series of ineffective games convinced ownership that he couldn't return in 2022.
"It was teetering before that. It really was. They got into a couple games they won, and it kind of got neglected in the coverage," Colts reporter Nate Atkins told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Thursday. "When they beat the Bills and Pats, their two brightest wins of the season, Wentz barely did anything. Completed 11 passes in one, five in the other. They just weren't succeeding through the air, much at all...
"If in the [final two games] he'd done all the things they'd hoped for and taken control, and won teammates over by making incredible plays they'd practiced all week, then he'd be there. But it wasn't the way he'd played for weeks and weeks, leading up to that. You could just see the confidence waning in him, but also in the coaches... They saw everything they needed to see in those final two games to believe this wasn't worth running back."
Despite playing a career-high 17 games, racking up 3,563 passing yards, and throwing for 27 touchdowns with only seven picks, Wentz faltered late in the season while stakes were high. In the stunning loss to Jacksonville, he threw for just 185 yards and produced a career-low 4.4 QBR. Indianapolis ripped the bandage off, and they're no longer on the hook for Wentz's $28 million salary for next season.
The Colts have undoubtedly lacked quarterback stability since Andrew Luck's retirement in 2018. Veteran signal-caller Matt Ryan, who was recently acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, will soon be Reich's fifth starter in as many seasons. According to the William Hill Sportsbook, Indianapolis currently has the 8th-best odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 57.
The entire Colts conversation between Atkins and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.