Carson Wentz claimed his first reaction to the Philadelphia Eagles grabbing a quarterback in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft was excitement.
Buoyed by the four-year, $128 million contract he signed with the team last year, Wentz said he knew it was possible the Eagles would draft Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts last month thanks to a phone call from general manager Howie Roseman.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about Jalen and how good he is and the player that he is,” Wentz said on a teleconference Monday. “I’ve gotten the chance to talk to him, just briefly. I’m excited to add him to the fold and create a really good, healthy, competitive, challenging environment for all of us.”
Wentz, 27, is recovered from a season-ending concussion suffered in the opening round of the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks. He passed for a franchise-record 4,039 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions in the regular season.
With Hurts in the mix, it remains possible that Nate Sudfeld, who is entering the final year of his contract, will be the No. 2 quarterback in 2020. The idea would be for Hurts to begin cross training at multiple positions and in specialized packages similar to the way the Baltimore Ravens used Lamar Jackson at the outset of his rookie season.
Either way, Wentz is confident and comfortable in his position with the franchise.
“I think the team showed their investment in me last year and I have nothing but confidence and faith in them and they have nothing but confidence and faith in me, so I think it’s all about strengthening that position and this group that we have,” Wentz said. “If I were to start questioning Howie (Roseman, general manager) and management now, I’d really be questioning myself, because, I like I said, I signed the deal that I did and it was my way of showing them I trust and believe in what we’re doing in Philly and they trust and believe in me. I have nothing but confidence and I’m excited to get to work.”
Wentz left the loss to the Seahawks in January early and backup Josh McCown finished the 17-9 defeat. Wentz still doesn’t have a playoff win to his credit due in large part to injuries, inviting a narrative that he’s too injury prone for the NFL.
“It’s frustrating. I’ve said it before about injuries. It’s an unfortunate part of the game but this one just felt a little different given the fluky nature that it was,” Wentz said. “A head injury is something that is out of your control … I was frustrated to A) Deal with a concussion because that’s never fun and I don’t wish that on anybody and B) To not be able to finish that game with my teammates and to not give us the best chance to win and do everything I could. We did some amazing things just to get to that point. … It’s a bummer. I hated not being out there. I hated dealing with a head injury and it’s a scary part of the game. Makes me that much hungrier to get back to work so we can do something bigger.”
