Another QB Signs Deal While Former Chiefs Backup Left Out in Cold

The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t had to worry about the quarterback position in years. After Alex Smith produced five solid seasons – albeit without a championship – in Kansas City, the Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes in the first round of the 2018 draft. Three Super Bowls in five seasons later, quarterback is no longer a problem and the Chiefs are the premier dynasty in the NFL.

But while Mahomes’s spot is safe in Kansas City, there have been many quarterbacks who have been his backup. Carson Wentz was the latest signal caller to serve as Mahomes’s caddy last season, but he remains on the free agent market after the latest signing to hit the NFL circles on Wednesday morning.

Carson Wentz Remains Unemployed as Bengals Re-Sign Logan Woodside

The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Wednesday that they have signed free-agent quarterback Logan Woodside. The 30-year-old was a seventh-round pick by the Bengals in the 2018 draft but didn’t appear in a game until his time with the Tennessee Titans in 2020. After two seasons with the Titans and two with the Atlanta Falcons, Woodside spent last season on the Bengals’ practice squad before agreeing to return for a second tour.

With just seven pass attempts in 11 games during his career, it’s interesting to see Woodside get a job and Wentz remain on the market. Wentz was the second overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 draft and was playing at an MVP level before tearing his ACL during the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl in 2017.

Wentz returned to Philadelphia the following year, but he was never the same quarterback before he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. Although he led the Colts to a 9-8 record in his lone season in Indianapolis, he was traded to the Washington Commanders the following year before spending the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Rams and last year with the Chiefs.

A highly-drafted quarterback who spent the last two years under Sean McVay and Andy Reid’s guidance should lead to a job somewhere, but there are other factors at play. Wentz’s leadership came under fire during his time in Indianapolis as The Athletic’s Zak Keefer reported he had “a resistance to hard coaching and a reckless style of play.”

The latter showed up as Wentz threw for 1,755 yards, 10 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight games (seven starts) in his lone season in Washington, and Wentz has been a journeyman backup since.

While Wentz rubbed people the wrong way, it looks like Woodside has done the opposite. His limited resume suggests he’d be better off playing in the UFL or out of football entirely. But as SI’s Jay Morrison pointed out, he has to have some value behind the scenes behind Joe Burrow and Jake Browning.

Perhaps this is the lesson Wentz needs to embrace as he looks for a new team. While teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints need a starting quarterback and others like the Minnesota Vikings need a backup, Wentz continues to sit on the sideline. Now 32, Wentz could be waiting for the perfect opportunity to resume his career. But his past suggests it could be on life support after Wednesday’s news.

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