Carson Wentz Released by Commanders After 1 Season; Saves $26.2M in Cap Space

Carson Wentz's time with the Washington Commanders is over.

The NFC East team announced Monday it released the quarterback and safety Bobby McCain. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted releasing Wentz will save the Commanders $26.2 million against the team's salary cap.

The move away from Wentz is anything but a surprise given the financial benefits of releasing him and his inconsistent play.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera already told reporters this offseason the team plans on moving forward with Sam Howell as its starter.

"I was obviously super excited, super grateful of Coach Rivera for giving me that opportunity," Howell told reporters. "But the work starts now. I got to take advantage of the opportunity I do have and do everything to try and give this team a chance to win every single game that we play."

As for Wentz, this is another offseason in which he will be on the move. The Philadelphia Eagles traded him to the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the 2021 season, and the Colts traded him to Washington ahead of the 2022 campaign.

The North Dakota State product started the first six games for the Commanders last season but was sidelined when he suffered a broken finger during a win over the Chicago Bears.

He ultimately appeared in eight games and completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. It was a far cry from even his one season with the Colts when he tallied 27 touchdown passes to seven picks while going 9-8 as a starter.

There was a time when Wentz was an MVP candidate during the 2017 season in Philadelphia, but a torn ACL sidelined him for the team's eventual run to the Super Bowl title. Things have been inconsistent ever since, as he threw 27 touchdowns to seven picks in 2019 for the Eagles but then led the NFL with 15 interceptions to go with 16 touchdown passes the following year.

Washington now has just Howell and Taylor Heinicke as quarterbacks on its roster, and the latter is set for free agency this offseason.

Even if the Commanders do bring Heinicke back, they will likely be in the market for another signal-caller either via the draft or free agency for depth purposes.