Former MVP candidate still without NFL team after accepting new role

06 July 2023 , 12:00

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Carson Wentz's stock in the NFL has suffered a sharp decline. (Image: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Carson Wentz has suffered a sharp and unexpected decline in the NFL and he remains without a team as training camp looms despite accepting his days as a starting quarterback are likely over.

With most teams just a couple of weeks away from welcoming their players for training camp, time is fast running out for the 30-year-old to secure a roster spot and have the full benefit of six weeks of preparation ahead of the new season.

Wentz has had interest from teams throughout the off-season and he is reportedly content to accept a role as a backup after coming up short as a starter in recent years, and although ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports Wentz is intent on playing in 2023, he is yet to put pen to paper.

Wentz's stock has fallen dramatically in recent years and the fact he remains a free agent at this stage of the NFL calendar says it all.

The fine performances of his early days with the Philadelphia Eagles after being drafted second overall in 2016 feel like a very distant memory.

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Having once been in the MVP conversation before his 2017 season was cruelly cut short by a torn anterior cruciate ligament – with the Eagles going on to win the Super Bowl with his backup Nick Foles leading the way – Wentz has been the starting quarterback for three different teams in the past three seasons.

After a dismal final year with the Eagles in 2020 where he led the league in interceptions and sacks, he was given a fresh start with the Indianapolis Colts, but he lasted just one season at Lucas Oil Stadium as a late collapse saw the team slump to 9-8, missing the playoffs.

Carson Wentz remains a free agent after three poor seasons with three different teams. (Getty)

Before the start of last season, he was shipped off to the Washington Commanders, where he went 2-5 as a starter, losing the starting job to Taylor Heinicke and coming in and out of the team before he was released at the end of a chaotic season for the player and the franchise.

Wentz angered some people by posting a picture of a bear he killed on a hunting vacation in Alaska last month, but he has also spent time in Tampa, Florida working with former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Wentz's sessions with Gruden have included film study and on-field work as he works to revitalise his career, which promised plenty but has underdelivered in recent years.

Sam Frost