A pair of ex-Commanders rode the NFL’s ever-spinning quarterback carousel on Sunday.
The Minnesota Vikings traded signal-caller Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles in a pick swap, instead signing Carson Wentz as their new backup quarterback.
Minnesota added a 2026 fifth-rounder and a 2027 seventh-rounder in the deal, which also sent a 2026 sixth-rounder to Philadelphia.
The Vikings added Howell, who started 18 total games for the Commanders in 2022 and 2023, through a trade with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this offseason.
In a related move, Minnesota signed Wentz to be their new backup behind second-year passer J.J. McCarthy. The team had brought in Wentz for a workout earlier in the weekend.
Wentz has bounced around the league since a promising start to his career with the Eagles. Wentz, who spent last season backing up Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, was the No. 2 overall pick by the Eagles in 2016. He finished third in NFL MVP voting the following season but tore his ACL in December and watched Nick Foles lead Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl victory.
He spent the 2021 campaign as the Indianapolis Colts’ starter before spending one year each with the Commanders, Los Angeles Rams and the Chiefs.
The 32-year-old Wentz is 47-46-1 as a starter. He has completed 62.7% of his passes for 22,410 yards, 153 touchdowns and 67 interceptions with an 89.3 passer rating.
Wentz is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season without any wide receiver on his team reaching 500 yards receiving. He did that in 2019, leading the Eagles to an NFC East title.
Howell replaced Wentz as the starting QB for the Commanders in 2023. He played behind Geno Smith in Seattle last year before going to Minnesota. Howell joins Tanner McKee behind Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. The Eagles also currently have Dorian Thompson-Robinson and rookie Kyle McCord.
Howell, a fifth-round pick in 2022, is 5-13 as a starter. He has completed 62.6 of his passes for 4,139 yards, 22 TDs and 23 interceptions with a 77.5 passer rating.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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