Where Carson Wentz Ranks Among All-Time Eagles QBs After Colts Trade

The Carson Wentz saga is officially over.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Eagles agreed to trade Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round selection that could improve to a first, provided Wentz hits certain performance thresholds.

Viewed as the team's long-term franchise quarterback at this time a year ago, Wentz saw his relationship with the Eagles sour to the point the team is paying an NFL-record $33.8 million dead-cap charge to rid itself of his contract. Jalen Hurts, who replaced a struggling Wentz last season, will likely be the team's starter.

With Wentz headed out of town, it's as good a time as any to explore the Eagles' history at quarterback. Or, shall we say, lack thereof.

After factoring in his career stats, playoff accomplishments and longevity, here's where Wentz sits among all Eagles quarterbacks since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

5. Carson Wentz

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Aside from the nightmare 2020 season, Wentz was an above-average quarterback during his Eagles tenure. Philly went 35-32-1 with Wentz as its starter, with the 2016 first-round pick throwing for 16,811 yards and 113 touchdowns against 50 interceptions.

Here is where Wentz ranked in ESPN's QBR metric during his five years with the Eagles:

• 2020: 29th
• 2019: 11th
• 2018: 12th
• 2017: 1st
• 2016: 26th (rookie)

If we throw out Wentz's rookie season and average his two outliers (2017, 2020), his net return as an Eagle was a slightly above-average starting quarterback. 

It does not take all that much to get onto this list, folks.

The controversy surrounding his departure and the fact that the Eagles gave up so much draft capital to move up to select him will likely forever mar Wentz in the eyes of Eagles fans. That said, he had one of the strongest five-year runs for a quarterback in franchise history when taken in totality.

4. Ron Jaworski

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Ron Jaworski was rarely good enough to win games himself and rarely bad enough to lose his job. That kept him under center in Philly for a decade, with the team choosing stability at the position.

The result was mostly successful, with the Eagles going 69-67-1 with Jaws as a starter. His passing numbers (26,963 yards, 175 TD, 151 INT) were unspectacular but were also a byproduct of a mediocre starting quarterback in a different era.

For a franchise that was defined by incompetence for most of its existence before Jaws came along, it's hard to find much fault in sticking with him for a decade. The Eagles made their first post-merger playoff appearance and reached Super Bowl XV with him under center.

3. Nick Foles

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Nick Foles won Super Bowl MVP while outdueling Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII.

We could wrap up the Foles portion of the program right here. The Eagles' quarterback history, combined with the fact that Foles won them their first Super Bowl ring, will forever give him a place in franchise history.

But Philly is also the only place on earth it seems Foles can be an above-average starting quarterback. His stops with the Rams, Chiefs, Jaguars and Bears have largely been miserable. He's been bad for four different teams and overwhelmingly successful with the Eagles.

Lest we forget that Foles made Chip Kelly look like he was revolutionizing football during the 2013 season, putting together the single best campaign in franchise history. He is 21-11 as an Eagles starter and 7-16 elsewhere.

Even though his combined record over five seasons with the team amounts to only two full seasons, Foles' run in the 2018 playoffs gets him the bump in a shallow talent pool.

2. Randall Cunningham

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There may be no player in NFL history who was ahead of his era more than Randall Cunningham, a 6'4" elite athlete with a Howitzer arm and sensational open-field playmaking ability. Without Cunningham, the quarterback position may not look the way it does today.

Selected in the second round as an heir apparent to Jaworski in 1985, Cunningham wowed the football world after taking over as the full-time starter two seasons later before a combination of injuries and schematic changes derailed his career and led to his brief retirement at age 32.

When Cunningham was on the field, however, the result was regularly spectacular. The Eagles were 63-43-1 with him as a starter, reaching the playoffs four times. Cunningham earned an All-Pro selection and was an MVP candidate during a spectacular 1990 campaign that saw him set a then-NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback (942) while throwing for 3,466 yards and 30 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.

Unfortunately, Cunningham never played a full season with the Eagles again after 1990. He missed 39 games over a five-year span from 1991 to 1995 before his brief retirement.

1. Donovan McNabb

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Eagles fans vociferously booed Donovan McNabb at the 1999 NFL draft, expressing disappointment the team did not take Ricky Williams.

Suffice it to say this is one of those times when fans didn't know better.

For all of his faults, McNabb became easily the greatest quarterback in Eagles history, resetting the franchise record book while leading the team to unprecedented success. While the McNabb-Andy Reid era did not end with a Lombardi Trophy, the Eagles reached the NFC Championship Game five times and won five division crowns.

McNabb earned six Pro Bowl nods and has his No. 5 retired by the franchise. While the relationship between Philadelphia and McNabb never quite became a full-on lovefest—many blame him for the team Super Bowl XXXIX loss to the New England Patriots—he's unquestionably the best player the Eagles have had under center.