Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Trade Carson Wentz to Washington Commanders

Episode Date: March 9, 2022

On today's episode, Evan and Stephen react to the breaking news revolving around Carson Wentz. The Indianapolis Colts have traded Wentz to the Washington Commanders for a haul of picks. What's next now for Indy?Breaking down all angles of the Wentz trade, it's time to go over the next steps for the Colts.This is a must-listen, so make sure to tune in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Wow, what a Wednesday, folks. We were recording earlier in the day on Wednesday because Carson Wentz is no longer Indianapolis Colt. He is now a Washington Commander, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. On Wednesday morning, the Indianapolis Colts have traded quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders as they swap second-round picks. They also got back Washington's third-round pick

and a conditional second-round pick in next year's draft. Of course, Wentz plays 70% of snaps. If you wanted to say it more clearly, of course, once placed 12 of the 17 games next year for the commanders, that will mean the Colts get a 2023 second round pick, which is a gold mine for that potential draft with how good the quarterback class could be. But Steven, how you doing today? We're joined by Steven Reed of Stampede Blue,

because we are here to react to this breaking news. We just talked about last night on the show, Steven. I mean, we were almost around the money with the course of Winscom. Yeah, yeah, I'm doing great now. I mean, shoot, as a Colts fan, how could you not feel great about what happened here? Because, like, it sucks that the Colts lost their 16th overall pick to Philly. But we were all kind of under the impression that the Colts were going to have to potentially

eat a bunch of Carson Wentz's salary, or they're going to have to sell him off for far less compensation. And quite frankly, that didn't happen. They were able to, they obviously lost compensation in terms of the eagles trade but they got a third round pick this year so that wipes out the third round pick last year and then they got a jump up from 47 to 42 this year in the in the draft and then they got a potentially a second round pick next year if like you said carson once plays 12 out of 17 games. So the Colts in this situation, like they gave up whatever the difference is from a second round pick to a

first round pick for a year of trying out Carson Wentz on a reasonable salary. And if Carson Wentz works out, then, you know, the Colts are not obviously making this trade, but it's a home run. He didn't work out and they were still able to salvage the difference between like pick 16 and whatever their pick's going to be next year, that second round, second round, future second round pick. So it's wild that, that Chris Ballard was able to get all this and didn't have to eat any of that salary.

Yeah, that's the most incredible part, Stephen. I even forgot to mention that. The Colts now have over $70 million in cash, $70.5 million over the cap after Carson Wentz was traded today. Somehow, someway, Stephen, the Colts don't have to pay any of Carson Wentz's salary. They gained $28.3 million in additional salary. The commanders took all of it on for his contract.

And then giving away a 2023 second round pick most likely steven like the the commanders from their standpoint real quick before we dive into the cold side i mean the commanders are sold on course and wins for their guy not only past 2022 but 2022 and beyond because you can't just give up a guy a 2023 second round pick that could be a top of the second round next year if you don't believe in this guy past next season. That's just incredible to me. Yeah. Oh, it's wild. Like, if they gave up, it's just wild. So, yeah, they got to think that Carson Wentz is going to be more than just a one-year filler for them.

And the best part about this is the NFC East is so bad that Washington with Carson Wentz is going to stay. This is the same situation that happened to Colts this year. Like, Washington is a solid team. They've got a really good coach in Ron Rivera, a coach that, as we talked about last night, is somebody who won with Cam Newton, who is a bigger quarterback that likes to extend plays through for under 60% completion percentage to for under 240 yards a game in, in the year that they went to the Superbowl and went 15 and one, you know, Ron Rivera could make this work with Carson Wentz. And I'm excited for them.

I'm excited for the Carson Wentz to get a fresh start because obviously the relationship soured very quickly here in Indianapolis, which is wild given the structure in Indianapolis. And I'm super excited for Colts fans. You know, I'm under the impression that the Colts have something up their sleeve in terms of the quarterback situation because I don't think they trade Carson Wentz without having a plan in place. And so I'm looking at this situation and going, all right, so the Colts are definitely looking at this and saying, all right,

well, we're going to move on from Carson Wentz. But like we said, what's next? What's the next quarterback? I think they've got a plan in place. My guess is they probably have already worked out a deal, like you mentioned last night with Jimmy G, in the San Francisco 49ers, because that's the one that makes the most sense, given the situation and given what everybody says about Jimmy G.

And if it's not Jimmy Grappolo, then Marcus Mariota is probably the guy. Yeah, the three options I've been thinking about, Derek Carr is the top option for me still because if he can probably come out of Las Vegas, I think he's a perfect fit in Frank Reich's offense. But I think it was less than 10 minutes after the trade happened officially that Ian Radcourt put out on Twitter that the Colts are in the mix for Jimmy Garoppolo.

I don't think that was by coincidence, like you just mentioned. Literally right after the trade happened, Rapshi comes out and says, oh, the Colts are probably going to be in the mix now for a new quarterback, whatever, Jimmy Garoppolo. And now we've seen multiple people, Matt Miller, VS happened, Rap Sheet comes out and says, oh, the Colts are probably going to be in the mix now for a new quarterback, whatever, Jimmy Garoppolo. And now we've seen multiple people, Matt Miller, VSPN, Jordan Schultz as well, mentioning Jimmy Garoppolo, Jimmy Garoppolo.

So that seems like it makes a lot of sense to me, Stephen, and that could easily be the plan here. But it makes me wonder, though, because this is something the Colts had an issue with last year, I wouldn't say just because of Wentz's play, but early on in the year they got off to a really bad start because I think Carson Wentz, that injury really set him back. The chemistry wasn't there. How worried would you be under the scenario that Jimmy Garoppolo

just had shoulder surgery and he'd be missing all of OTAs, missing all this stuff. He wouldn't be able to throw to his new guys until training camp. It'd be almost the exact same situation as Carson Wentz, wouldn't it? Yeah, that's the one thing that worries me is having Jimmy G come in and not get an opportunity to throw with the receivers and coming back from shoulder surgery. Quite honestly, shoulder surgeries for your starting quarterback scare me.

Past couple times, it's happened for the Colts. It hasn't worked out well. So I'm a little hesitant on that. I'm not sure where they go from here this is a weaker quarterback draft and so i'm wondering if they look at like you mentioned uh that your guy in free agency marcus mariotta if they look at him the colts were rumored to be interested in trading for marcus mar Mariota last year. And then they also looked into,

they've looked into the past two off seasons to be totally honest. And so it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to sign him outright this year. The other positive thing is they've got 70 million in cap space. Like you said, 70 million in cap space, they can go and get, they can outbid anybody for anybody at this point if they really want to now that's again kind of opposite of what chris ballard really does but if they're able to trade for uh jimmy g or you know they they go and people rip jimmy g but he's a win like he's got a better win loss percentage than most quarterback.

I think he's over 50, like 22 and 17, something like that. As a starter, he just led his team to the NFC championship game. You know, it's now he's, he makes mistakes, but I think he's a better locker room fit than what Carson Wentz is for the Colts. Quite honestly, I'd rather they roll with Marcus Mariota than trade any asset, because I think that they could sign Marcus Mariota for $10 to $15 million, if that. They might be able to get in for less than that have him be on a two-year contract then sign like somebody like taryn armstead to play left tackle um because they need to solve that position because the other news report right before that carson went stuff broke was that eric

fisher is going to be going into free agency that colts aren't able to resign or gonna let him test the market to see where he's at and then they're also going to probably look to upgrade the tight end position. Now, Jack Doyle retiring, my guess is Evan Ingram, somebody like that. Um, Tanya makes a lot of sense, but they've, and then they they've got, they've got money to spend. And with Jim Ursae's push and Chris Ballard recognizing that he might need to, uh, might need to open the pocketbooks a little bit like, and Jim Irsay pushing him saying, Hey, let's, let's spend some money.

Let's do this. I think the Colts are likely going to spend some money, this free agency, and not just resigning their own. Cause at this point, most of their own is already locked up outside like Nelson um nobody else is really eligible for a for a contract extension um that is a big number so once you get Quentin Nelson locked up and that's probably going to drop his cap number down um or at the very least keep it the same then you've got all that extra money to spend on upgrading your roster.

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Yeah, looking at the cap space on over the top right now, and I actually just tweeted it out on at LockedOnColts, but looking at the cap space difference between the Colts and everyone else, Steven, after this Carson Wentz trade, it is very apparent how much space the Colts have between everyone else on top of the free agent market. The Colts have $69.8 million in cap space according to Over the Cap. The next teams after that, Chargers at $56.3 million, Dolphins $51.3 million, Jets $48.8 million, and Jaguars $38.9 million. The Colts have considerable distance between them and everyone else, $13 dollars more than the Chargers for number two spot for free agent money so this has me thinking honestly Steven that there's no excuses now with the Colts having this amount of money

obviously a quarterback is going to put a dent to that whatever they do a little bit but you have enough money now easily this point Steven where the Colts have enough money to make a legit play for a top tier weapon weapon in free agency on the offensive side. And they have enough money still to go out and dip their toes in free agency on the pass rusher. So that's a great pass rush class once again in free agency. I just have a really good indication, Stephen, that I think the Colts are going to make a few big splashes here.

And they'll still have enough flexibility to even have more space. If they extend Quentin Nelson, Stephen, before free agency starts, they have $80 million in cap space. The Colts have so much money to play with here where I think it's very, very strong chance. I put it over 80% chance that a Colts make at least two big splash moves here within the next week. Yeah. I mean,

they're not going to do anything in terms of free agent moves, but I think that they might look to me. I mean, cause they literally can't, not until next week. Actually, a week from today, I think, is March 16th is when the free agency period opens. Legal tampering period starts on Monday, I believe, at noon. Eastern, for anybody that cares. But I don't think that the Colts are going to, you're not going to hear anything about them until at least Monday. And then I think the Colts are going to, you're not going to hear anything about them until at least one day. And then I think the Colts are gonna make some splashes.

I think Hassan Reddick would be a perfect addition to the Colts team. Remember Hassan Reddick went from Arizona and then signed with Matt rule and played at Carolina and they love him out there as that, as that kind of player. He's now put up two consecutive double-digit sack seasons. He's seeking a lucrative free agent contract right now as a defensive end, and he's put up some pretty darn good seasons. And then you've got a guy like Chris Ballard who, remember, Matt Rule was one of the initial guys that Chris Ballard interviewed in the process before he hired Frank Reich.

Everybody kind of scratched their head. Hey, who's this college coach from Baylor? What's he doing? And so you look at that and you're like, all right, well, they've got a relationship there. They can probably ask about it. And then they can keep moving on and be able to get that pass, especially they can get that tight and they can get a whole lot of options

there with all this salary cap space. I just see them making a big splash this year. Yeah, and whatever way it may be, I think the Colts are destined, Stephen, to make a big splash here. And let's look back a little bit at Carson Wentz because what a year it was for Carson Wentz. I mean, we were on the show all throughout the season and I am there with you, Stephen. I mean, maybe more so I was than you were. I was all in on Carson Wentz middle of the season. He was doing a great job. And then all of a sudden, just everything falls apart

in the second half of the season. Even when the defense got easier for a quarterback, when John Taylor's put up those big numbers, Carson Wentz just couldn't do anything. I don't know what happened behind the scenes, if anything happened there. I don't want to speculate on that. But the on-field performance there, Stephen, 62.4 comp percentage,

3,500 plus yards, 27 touchdowns, seven picks. What was it like watching Kirsten Wentz last year, now knowing he's gone, just looking back on now? What was 2021-22 like for Kirsten Wentz under center for the Colts? Because it was a rollercoaster, to say the least. I think that's the right term, is rollercoaster. There were some super high highs. There was a 12- 12 game stretch there in the middle where they went nine and three and he was one of the top five quarterbacks in the nfl um but the trouble is those low lows were like crazy low and even in that nine and three stretch the the three games that he lost like it's wild because it's like a roller coaster like each game is a roller

coaster in terms of the season and then each series is a roller coaster within that game because you literally never knew what he was going to do and whether he was going to do like it was either he was going to do something spectacular and magnificent or he was going to do and whether he was going to do like it was either he was going to do something spectacular and magnificent or he was going to do something completely idiotic and stupid and there really was no in between there was no safe choice it was either he's making a highlight level play or he's making a not top 10 level mistake and that that's ultimately what frustrated Chris Ballard, which frustrated Frank Reich. I mean, you see clips of players as they go throughout the season

and you see them in the game, Carson Wentz hits somebody else or he throws in an interception when they're wide open, the player is, and they just put their hands in the air. Like, oh, and that was like early in the season and where it was like important games, and Carson Wentz just kind of melted. So I think as a Colts fan, it's going to be interesting

because, again, we don't know what they're going to do next, but it's hopefully going to be steady, and that's ultimately kind of what you want from a quarterback. Like, so what you got from Phillip Rivers and Andrew Locke and Peyton Manning is steady. Like, you knew what you were going to get with them. They had a very clear floor. And that floor was high. They had an elite ceiling. But that floor, that lowest level was high for them. With Carson Wentz, he's got that elite ceiling that you saw with Andrew Luck and Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning. But he also has like Jamarcus Russell level floors. And that's a blast from the past for anybody that's listening.

It's like, it's just wild how big of a range that he has within a game. And that's what it is for him. And I think it's going to be less stressful watching Colts games. And so I'm really excited about that. And I'm sure my future cardiologist is going to be really excited about that as well. It's one of those situations to me Stephen I haven't actually put it best on his show too where he always said like when Carson went to the ball in her center it was like a heart attack like he didn't know like how exactly to just play steady it was always very

volatile up and down and now like you mentioned I think the culture going to go in the polar opposite direction of Carson Wentz, a completely less volatile quarterback, a guy who's steady, a guy who's very accurate as well. And I keep coming back to Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr. Derek Carr is unrealistic, but Jimmy Garoppolo we talked about in the start of the show. What's your opinion of going in that direction? I mean, we are talking about the start of the show, Stephen, but it seems like right now all signs are pointing towards like a Jimmy Garoppolo type of quarterback.

What would be your thoughts on that? Because the Colts now have the draft compensation if they want to swap out one of those third-round picks. Maybe it's less than that now with Jimmy Garoppolo's shoulder issue. Maybe it's a fourth-round pick instead. What would be your opinion if they made a move like that? I wouldn't be against it. It always comes down to compensation. Um,

Derek Carr, if they're asking for a first round pick, um, or multiple first round picks for Derek Carr, then that's a no go for me. Um, I just don't think that he's that level. I'd rather sound like the, the difference between a Marcus Mariota, Mitch Trubisky, and a Jimmy G or a Derek Carr, or even maybe a Kirk Cousins, which is another name that I've heard floated out there, that the difference between those guys, you have to justify the compensation you're giving up for it. So if you're giving up a fourth round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo, I'm okay with that.

I feel good about that one. You know, I feel okay about that one. If you're giving up a bunch of picks, like a bunch of high picks for Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, I don't like that because it's not, those guys aren't going to put you in the elite range to win you a Superbowl. I don't think so.

I don't think that they're the ones that you would give up. Maybe Derek Carr is, I don't think her cousins is. I do think both of all three of those guys we're talking about are upgrades over Carson Wentz, just for the sheer fact that you know exactly what you're getting with each one of them and their floors are higher than Carson Wentz's floor. And so I feel like any of those guys are going to be an upgrade over Wentz in terms of the long term of the season, the long haul of the season.

And so I wouldn't be against trading for any of them unless the draft capital to trade, for example, Derek Carr was like two first round picks. I wouldn't be against trading for any of them unless the draft capital to trade, for example, Derek Carr was like two first round picks. I wouldn't like that. Yeah, it'll be something to watch out for that for sure, because it feels like the veteran way to go is what's going to happen, whether it be via free and see if you sign a stopgap or if you go out and get a go for Roppel or make a splash for Derek Carr. This feels like the most realistic options right now for a Colts team that their owner said they have all chips in right now. So that's just something to watch out for there but another option that has been getting steam I've seen since the Wentz trade happened is signing a stopgap like a Mitch Trubisky or Marcus Mariota

and we talked about some of the show last night Steven like those guys be ideal mentors for a young guy you get more draft capital as well what do you think the odds have increased now that this strategy maybe going out and getting like a stopgap like a Mariota and then trading up like to 30 or 32 like in that late first range for a Sam Howell or a Desmond Ritter or one of those other guys slips in the draft? Do you feel like the odds of that have increased now in the last couple hours? I think the odds of it has increased over the last couple hours just because they've got more ammunition to move up to the back end of the first round.

If they wanted to make that that jump they could do that and go from 42 to 30 29 29 somewhere around there um and only have to give up you know a third round one of the third round pick they just got from washington um so they could make that move if they wanted to and would feel fine. I think the ultimate issue is if you – I prefer signing Mariota or Trubisky and then going with a rookie over trading assets for Kirk Cousins or any of these other guys. But at the same time, you have to look at the draft class coming not only this year, but next year. Next year's draft class in terms of quarterbacks has got a lot more talent at the top end. And so if you aren't sold on one of these guys, and quite honestly, I think Chris Ballard really likes Pickett, Kenny Pickett, out of Pittsburgh.

Who knows whether he'll be there at the end of the first round but if he is there i think they might trade up for him um but if you're looking at it from an overall standpoint i think the colts would rather sign a stopgap this year and then or sign a guy like or trade for a guy like jimmy g and sign him to a couple-year extension to get himself under contract, give him some more guaranteed money, and look to the 2023 draft in terms of quarterbacks because you're going to have your first-round pick. You're going to have your second-round pick.

You potentially will have Washington's second-round pick. At the very least, you'll have their third. And you're going to have an opportunity that, you you know if you wanted to for example like trade a player you're gonna have a better opportunity to trade a player in that that situation so i think my my way of thinking on this is i would go signing marcus mariotta or a mitch trubitsky and see what happens in the draft. If one of your guys falls, you go up and get him because you can move up from 40. It's a lot easier to move up from 42 than it is 47

because a lot of times those tiers, that five spots in that tier makes a huge difference. So I think that they're probably going to, if their guy falls, I think they'll trade up from 42. But if they don't like anybody in this draft, I don't think they're going to force the quarterback position. And I think they'll wait it out until 2023 and go and grab a quarterback then. Yeah, it's just so interesting how you go about this, Stephen,

because there's so many different options still on the table for the Colts. We're still about a week away from free agency. We still have a couple days to see exactly how the quarterback dominoes continue to fall because now they're falling at a rapid rate. We saw Rodgers stay put. We've seen Wilson trade to the Broncos. We've seen Wentz trade to the Commanders all from the last 24 hours. I mean, has your prediction at all changed, Stephen, since we last spoke last night?

Because this stuff's happening fast here, Now Carson Wentz is a commander. I mean, to be fair, like, I was pretty close last night. No, you were. I said a third-round pick, and you said a second and a fourth. So kind of us splitting the difference there. We're kind of riding the money. Yeah. Yeah.

I honestly, if I were going to go back, like we were both right that Wentz would be moved. I got the team right. And then I think you're going to be right on who they go with. I think they'll probably look to reach out for Jimmy G. Again, I think Derek Carr is a better fit and would potentially put them in a position to win a Super Bowl. But at the same time, I don't know how much it's going to cost to give up.

And Derek Carr is just not on that elite level as Aaron Rodgers and or Russell Wilson. And allegedly, the Green Bay Packers, the best offer they got for Rodgers was two first round picks. Like basically the Matt Stafford deal, which is ironic given that, you know, I forget who reported it, but the Packers or the Colts were looking to make a trade similar to the Matt Stafford deal, which involved a quarterback and two first-round picks. So my guess is that was where they were putting their cards there.

And once Aaron Rodgers went, then Russell Wilson domino fell. And then Carson Wentz, like we said last night, Carson Wentz was the best option left on the market without any kind of significant cloud over their head in terms of them missing time. Like with Jimmy G with the surgery or with Deshaun Watson with the legal case that's going on there. We'll have more clarity on that. Probably if not the end of this week, end of Friday, we'll have it coming up probably next week at some point. So, you know, we'll find out a little bit more as things go, but I just look at this and say, all right, I'm glad the Colts have moved on. I'm ecstatic that they got what they got for it. And they didn't have to eat any of that salary. And they've got a ton of money for Chris Ballard to really go out and spend some money in free agency and bring in some guys that will help

this team win and put them in a better position for whoever the starting quarterback is in 2022. It's going to be so interesting what happens here, Stephen, and I appreciate coming on here the last second because this happened breaking news just a couple hours ago. I'm glad to get you on here because what a time. What a time. This is a very intriguing time for Colts fans. Now we're going to be entering the sixth straight season of a new starting quarterback week one.

So Frank right now in his head coaching tenure, fifth straight year of our new quarterback under center for Indianapolis Colts. So I appreciate everyone listening. And as always, the Locked On Colts. Steven, is there any closing thoughts you had here as Colts stands now look ahead to free agency and what's next to quarterback? Because now after this Wentz trade, you add ammunition, you add all this cap space.

I think the Colts are one of the most intriguing teams to watch in the NFL over the next 10 or so days. Yeah, I mean, it's going to be fun. I think the Colts are really going to actually spend money this time. Like, for real this time. I know we've said that years past, but for real, I think they're going to spend money. And I think that's going to be a push from Jim or say like push from the top.

Hey, Chris, go ahead. You know, let's, let's put some, let's put some chips in, you know, we couldn't go all chips in because Rogers and Wilson weren't available to us at least. And so let's, let's put like most chips in and see what happens. So I'm excited for the Colts. It'll be really intriguing what they do at quarterback and whether they've already got a deal up their sleeve for an option in the future. And I'm just really excited about what they're doing and the fact that they were able to get back what they got back for Carson Wentz,

given how the season ended and how everybody within that building within the organization apparently had soured on him again like I mentioned last night it's public perception of it is is always interesting and other teams have a certain value and the public perception is not going to change a whole lot of that value. So Washington obviously valued Carson Wentz by quite a bit and was willing to give up what they gave up along with taking on the entire contract. And so the Colts are better off for it. And I just look forward to seeing what they do over the next two weeks. Okay, I was going to end the show right there, but I was just reading the athletic.

Zach Kiefer dropped a story with a lot of intel on Carson Wentz. I just want to draw a few nuggets here for you, Steve, before we close things out, because there's a lot of interesting stuff here. I'm reading this as we were talking, and here is why the Colts moved on from Carson Wentz, according to multiple sources, via Zach Kiefer's story. I quote, it is as follows.

As for the Colts, the issues with Wentz stretched back to before the season began, one source said, and over the course of the year, some grew frustrated with what deemed a lack of leadership, a resistance to hard coaching, and a reckless style of play he refused to adapt to, which had a role in several close losses this year. It wasn't just a football move. Wentz's play was inconsistent, and Colts brass simply didn't trust him

to be quarterback in 2022. They knew long before week 17 and 18 that Carson Wentz was not going to be the quarterback. So even after the Arizona game, some of the Colts front office wanted to move on from Carson Wentz, Stephen. So what's your thoughts on that real quick? Because it seems like before the season started, I think we all know what that was as a vaccine.

I think that's the main thing there, and not getting vaccinated. And the leadership stuff, the reckless style of play. This sounds almost exactly what happened in Philadelphia, doesn't it, Stephen? Yeah, it sounds real familiar. I'm honestly surprised that Kiefer put this out today. Because, again, nothing's finalized until March 16th. So I'm a little surprised that it got put out today.

But if everything is on the up and up there at the league office and everything's done, it is what it is. It doesn't surprise me. It's something that we've said all along. It's something that we talked about throughout the season and something that I specifically mentioned as the season ended that I thought the vaccination situation with Carson Wentz and his refusal to be a team leader like DeForest Buckner was a team

leader Kenny Kenny Moore Jonathan Taylor those guys were all team leaders when it came to that that that really was something that rubbed Chris Ballard Frank Reich you know Jim Irsay all the wrong way because you're looking for guys that's going to put the team first. And whether you like it or not, whether you agree with the way the vaccine situation was put out by the NFL and whether you agree with the guidelines that the NFLPA put into place, the rules were the rules. And they knew that if he didn't do this for the team, it was going to put him and the team at a competitive disadvantage.

And he wasn't willing to get a shot for the team. Like that, I guarantee, and especially after Frank Wright caught COVID, especially after Chris Ballard, he said during the season he got COVID. And if you listen to Dan Dokich's interview with Chris Ballard, he said during the season he got COVID. And if you listen to Dan Dokich's interview with Chris Ballard, I believe that was mentioned that Chris Ballard got COVID during the season when he came back out of protocols that he was able to get back into it. But you had multiple people in the organizations that caught it and you've got somebody that's denying that, that it's not a big deal.

So I could see that rubbing Chris Ballard, Frank Reich the wrong way. I could see him being arrogant and uncoachable. You know, like I mentioned last night, you go from a place where you're the star and you throw the ball at country mile and everybody's praising you and you finally get some money as a second overall pick you do some do pretty well you win a super bowl for a team with the team that never had won before and you were almost an mvp candidate and then you get a huge payday and you change and i imagine i imagine the person that's most upset and most disappointed about the whole

Carson Wentz situation is Frank Reich because Frank Reich trusted Carson Wentz and Carson Wentz betrayed him in terms of who he was as a person. Like it just seemed like they didn't know who they like. They traded for Carson Wentz and they they because of NFL rules those guys can't be within the organization can't do team meetings with guys outside of you know the actual organized team activities and so Frank Reich wasn't able to get a lot of one-on-one time legally with Carson Wentz and the NFL is pretty strict on this I mean mean, shoot, they just banned Calvin Ridley for a year for placing $1,500 in FanDuel bets on his phone.

So, like, the NFL monitors this stuff, and they do investigations and stuff. So if they're going to go outside the box to try to, like, meet with each other, it's going to get you in a lot of trouble. So Frank Reich didn't have an opportunity to work with Carson Wentz throughout the offseason, gets into camp, and he's like, well, shoot, this is a different person. And that's, you know, it fits what happened in Philly. After he got paid, they said he became a different person.

And that's what happened here. So, I mean, here's the thing. I wish Carson Wentz the best of luck in Washington. I don't have any ill will towards him or anything like that and I don't imagine the Colts do necessarily either they wish him the best and just move on and it is what it is as as they say so I I'm not surprised by any of the things that Kiefer is reporting. To be totally honest, it's something that we all kind of suspected. And it's – I'm glad the Colts were able to get what they got for Carson Wentz. I think that it's a coup for them to get as much as they got

and not have to eat any of the salary. So it puts them in a better position moving forward for what they need to do in the future. One last little nugget here, Stephen, before I let you go, because this one is I'm tweeting out right now on Locked on Colts, but this is from Zach Keeper's story. According to one source within the organization, don't rule out Sam Ellinger getting a chance at the starting job.

What in the world? What's your thoughts on that one, Stephen? Because, I mean, obviously that's the only guy on the roster that's currently the starter. But if the Colts are for sure considering Sam E that one, Stephen? Because, I mean, obviously that's the only guy on the roster that's currently the starter. But if the Colts are for sure considering Sam Ellinger, Stephen, they're 100% on board tanking next season. If that's the case, they're 100% on board within their organization that are going to take 2023.

If they're legitimately considering that, that has to be on the table. Yeah, yeah, you've got to think that that's on there. But here's the thing with Sam Ellinger is is regardless of what you think about Sam Ellinger, he is a smart quarterback. He just doesn't have Carson Wentz's arm strength. And so there are quarterbacks that don't have Wentz's arm strength that do pretty well in the NFL. I know a certain one that just retired down in Tampa Bay who didn't have Carson

Wentz's arm strength that ended up being one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Not saying that that's something Sam Ellinger is going to become, but people seem to overemphasize the ability of a quarterback based on how far they can throw a ball. Sam Ellinger is accurate and he's smart. So it doesn't surprise me that somebody said, hey, don't be surprised if they give him a shot. Chris Ballard spoke glowingly of Sam Ellinger. Was it okay putting Jacob Eason on weavers? Because again, Jacob Eason is a guy that's got a howitzer as an arm. He can the ball a mile but wasn't super accurate uh at times and had issues with playbooks so you know sam ellinger if you put him in the right position and you get him in the right offensive system he could win i mean again the trouble with the

colts right now is that they have got a good enough roster where they're too good to get down in the bottom 10 and do a full tank and lose out to be able to get one of those top quarterbacks. But they're not good enough to win a Super Bowl. So it's a struggle there for them to be in purgatory like this. But I think ultimately it's going to be interesting to see what Chris Ballard does, like I said, over the next two weeks. And then going into the draft now with an extra day two pick in that round three and then moving up from 47 to 42. It's going to give them some more options to address some needs that this draft is deep at tackle, defensive end and wide receiver. So all three positions that the Colts really need to look at, you can address all three of those on day two.

And then, you know, if you want to trade up for a quarterback, you've got an option there. So a lot of moving parts here, Stephen. Appreciate it, as always, coming on the show. And this is a crazy day for Colts fans, just seeing the course of Wentz era end about a year later than it already started. It's just a crazy ride to think about.

But Stephen, appreciate the time as always. We'll probably have you on the show again next week as we talk more about free agency. But in the meantime, go ahead and follow him on Twitter if you aren't already. Colts fans at NiceReadSteve. And go follow us on Twitter at LockedOnColts. Stephen, appreciate the time today. Thanks, Evan. Have a good one.