The Kansas City Chiefs have been the class of the AFC for several years running. When you enjoy that type of sustained success in a sport where doing so is almost unheard of, your peers tend to value your opinion. This is what recently transpired with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid as his backing ultimately led to a former Kansas City QB being signed for the 2025 season.
After spending the last two seasons with the Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, respectively, Carson Wentz was out of a job entering the latter stages of the summer and one conversation with Reid helped change that. According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, Reid and Rams head coach Sean McVay were major advocates of Wentz when Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell reached out to them to gauge their opinion of the veteran.
Chiefs' Andy Reid Played Instrumental Role in Wentz Signing With VIkings
With first-year starter JJ McCarthy sidelined for at least this weekend's game, Wentz will take on the duties associated with being QB1. Losing your starting quarterback to an injury in the opening two weeks of the season is never something a fan base wants to see. With that being said, having Wentz ready to step in and run the offense shouldn't lead to a large dropoff from where things were with McCarthy guiding the ship.
"Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell, the reigning Coach of the Year, leaned on conversations with Sean McVay and Andy Reid before signing Wentz less than 30 days ago. And Vikings QB coach Josh McCown was teammates with Wentz in Philadelphia in his final season as a player. All three told O’Connell nearly the same thing about working with the veteran backup: Trust the process and let him handle the game," Russini wrote.
Wentz has all the necessary experience to step right into this role and perform at a high enough level that Minnesota could realistically win the game. His 22,000+ passing yards and 153 touchdowns prove that fact. As long as he has a firm enough grasp of the offense after being with the team for a little less than a month, the veteran QB is capable of getting the job done against a shorthanded Cincinnati Bengals roster.
The confidence that Reid, McVay, and Vikings QB coach Josh McCown clearly have in Wentz helped get the former No. 2 overall pick this opportunity. Now, the veteran signal caller must make good on that praise and do what he can to get the job done. The fact that Wentz would be doing it against an AFC team, which was expected to be in the hunt before Joe Burrow's toe injury, is just the cherry on top for Kansas City and Reid.