The biggest decision for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason surrounds the future of starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who has already dominated the headlines for the team since the devastating collapse to end the 2021 campaign.
The Colts will be looking at all of their options when it comes to Wentz and the quarterback position. While “no firm decision” has been made yet, the buzz around Wentz being traded has already started.
The likelihood of Wentz being traded can be debated to no end. No one truly knows outside of Chris Ballard and the front office. Even they, at this point, are still going through all of the options.
While there is an equal chance Wentz stays with the Colts for another season, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take a look at the potential trade destinations for the 29-year-old quarterback.
Given that the offseason officially just started, it’s hard to truly gauge which teams are realistic suitors. We’ll try our best here to be as realistic as possible, taking salary cap (via Over The Cap) and positional need into consideration.
Trading Wentz will be difficult considering the contract another team would likely have to take on. He’s already guaranteed $15 million and will get another guaranteed roster bonus on March 18. The Colts may have to work some magic—aka eat some money—if a deal will really come to fruition.
Here’s a look at six potential trade destinations for Colts quarterback Carson Wentz this offseason:
Projected salary-cap space: $3,075,110
The Buccaneers are in the quarterback market following the retirement of Tom Brady. There’s always a possibility he unretires but in the scenario he doesn’t, the Bucs could be an option for Wentz.
Depending on whether they want to continue to build with a win-now approach, the Bucs may be compelled to feel Wentz could work with that elite offensive line and playmakers. The Bucs got a first-hand look at Wentz when he threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns in Week 12.
They would likely need to make room for Wentz’s contract by moving some money around but considering the talent they have around the quarterback position, it’s not completely outside the realm of possibilities.
Projected salary-cap space: $38,877,012
Potentially the spot that makes the most sense, the Broncos should be a team the Colts make a call to this offseason. If Wentz truly is gone, Denver has both the positional need and salary-cap space to make a deal work.
The Broncos are one of those teams that can be viewed as “a quarterback away” from competing for the playoffs. With players like Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Noah Fant, Javonte Williams and Tim Patrick, there will be no shortage of talent around Wentz.
The Broncos are also the favorite to land Aaron Rodgers in a trade considering the talent listed above and the fact that former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is the new head coach.
Even so, this might be the destination that makes the most sense if a trade were to go down.
Projected salary-cap space: $31,899,739
Formerly the Washington Football Team, the Commanders will be in the market for a quarterback. They pieced it together as best as they could in 2021 with Taylor Heinicke but they may be looking for a true upgrade.
Wentz would provide that while the Commanders do have the monetary means to make a deal. The Colts just may have to convince them to part ways with a pick on Day 2—likely a third-rounder at best—which will be no easy task.
But with talent like Terry McLaurin, Logan Thomas and Curtis Samuel, an argument could be made that an upgrade at quarterback would help Washington compete in the NFC East.
Projected salary-cap space: $36,633,530
This is the deal that Colts fans likely want the most. That’s because the dream scenario would include the Colts somehow convincing the Seahawks to part ways with Russell Wilson while taking on Wentz and his contract.
How that deal would work, I have no idea. But the Colts would likely have to include a pick with Wentz in order to get Wilson. Even with the latter’s contract on the books, the Seahawks are in strong standing with the salary cap.
If Wilson is truly on the market, the Colts need to be on the phone doing everything they can to make a swap of quarterbacks—even if the situation is more of a pipe dream.
Carolina Panthers
Projected salary-cap space: $17,153,293
The Panthers are on this list mostly because of their need at the quarterback position. Wentz would be an objective upgrade over Sam Darnold but the Colts may have to take on the latter considering the Panthers are already on the books for his fifth-year option, which is guaranteed.
This scenario is a bit less likely but if the Colts were to take an approach with the view toward the 2023 draft class (they likely aren’t), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Colts and Panthers swap quarterbacks. Again, it’s unlikely to happen but given the Panthers’ needs, they make the list.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Projected salary-cap space: $31,276,582
With Ben Roethlisberger out of the picture, the Steelers are currently looking at Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback. The talent around that position is extremely strong with Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth making up a young core.
The offensive line is certainly an issue but the Steelers could use their first-round pick to address that if they traded for Wentz. It’s hard to imagine the Steelers passing offense getting worse than it was in 2021 so if the new general manager feels the move could be beneficial given the support staff, the Steelers could be an option.
Overall outlook
It’s not easy coming up with realistic scenarios for the Colts to trade Wentz. It’s clear they made a mistake making the trade in the first place and now they have to convince other teams that Wentz can still play winning football at a consistent pace.
Not only does his contract complicate matters, but teams may just want to avoid taking that risk.
There is a chance that owner Jim Irsay steps in a forces Chris Ballard’s hand to make a move. In that case, the Colts are likely looking at simply cutting their losses and taking a deal that would benefit another team. But if it means getting out of quarterback purgatory sooner rather than later, it may be the right move.
No one truly knows what will happen with Wentz this offseason. He could stay for all we know. But there are still some potential trade destinations if the Colts take a slight discount while convincing teams to look past the final month of the regular season.
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