Carson Wentz trade details: Full breakdown of trade package originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Commanders have their QB1.
Washington acquired quarterback Carson Wentz in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Washington. One day after finishing as the runner-up for former Seattle Seahawks signal-caller Russell Wilson, the Commanders made their move to shore up the position ahead of free agency.
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Unlike the Denver Broncos, who gave up a monster package for Wilson that included two first-round picks and three players, the Commanders didn’t have to part ways with any first-rounders or promising young stars to land Wentz.
Here are the full details of the trade, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Commanders get: Carson Wentz, 2022 second-round pick (No. 47 overall)
Colts get: 2022 second-round pick (No. 42), 2022 third-round pick (No. 73), conditional 2023 third-round pick*
*pick will turn into a second-rounder if Wentz plays 70% of snaps in 2022
So, the Commanders made a second-round pick swap and gave up two third-round picks with the potential for one of them to turn into a second in exchange for Wentz.
The conditional pick is similar to the one that was included in the Colts’ initial trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for Wentz last offseason. The qualifier then was that Wentz either play at least 75% of the Colts’ offensive snaps in 2021 or he plays 70% and Indianapolis makes the playoffs. Wentz played 98% of snaps for the Colts but they missed the postseason.
Following the trade, here are the picks that the Commanders will have in this upcoming draft:
Round 1: No. 11
Round 2: No. 47 (via IND)
Round 3: None (traded to IND)
Round 4: No. 111
Round 5: None (traded to PHI)
Round 6: No. 187
Round 7: No. 228
Wentz carries a salary-cap hit of $28.3 million for 2022 with $15 million guaranteed including a $5 million roster bonus to be paid March 17. Per Over The Cap, the trade leaves Washington with about $5.9 million in cap space with free agency set to open March 16.
The 29-year-old also has cap hits of $26.1 million and $27.3 million for 2023 and 2024, respectively. However, neither of those salaries are guaranteed, so the team could cut him after the 2022 season without incurring any dead money.
This move gives the Commanders a chance to see how Wentz fares playing for his third team in as many years. If he does well, they could renegotiate his contract to lower his cap hit in future years. If he doesn’t, they can release him and start over again — albeit with one fewer draft pick in 2023.
