4 reasons why Carson Wentz could be back for 2022

The Indianapolis Colts face an offseason with several major decisions. The biggest one comes in the form of quarterback Carson Wentz.

Without much support publicly from general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Frank Reich, many are wondering what the future will hold for the 29-year-old quarterback.

He’s still technically under contract for the next three seasons but the Colts could cut him before March 18 and only take on $15 million in dead money against the salary cap.

Even with the chance of the Colts moving on this offseason, there is still also a chance that Wentz it back again for at least one more season.

Here are four reasons why that could happen:

No better options

This is a big one. In order for the Colts to get rid of Wentz, they will need a replacement option. And most likely, they would need one that is a clear upgrade from Wentz.

There is no guarantee that the Colts will be able to (or even desire to) trade for Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. So that means the front office will be looking at trade options like Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo. Two options that are safer but ones that also don’t offer the ceiling that Wentz does.

Then looking at free agency, the options don’t get much better. Signal-callers like Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston and Mitchel Trubisky are expected to be available. An argument could be made for any one of them.

However, the Colts have to feel the move will be worth it. If we’re looking at this objectively, there’s certainly a chance they don’t.

Dead money situation

If the Colts do decide to move on, they will be doing so by taking on a minimum of $15 million in dead money against the cap. If they don’t make the move before March 18, Wentz gets a roster bonus that is guaranteed.

There’s a chance the Colts don’t want to deal with any more dead money scenarios if they can’t find a clear upgrade from Wentz. Ballard and his front office have always been on top of the dead money situation. It remains to be seen if he wants to change that this offseason.

Colts have to find a suitor

Speaking in all these hypotheticals when it comes to trades is all fine and well. But the Colts still have to find a trade partner. The season-end numbers look fine and maybe a team convinces themselves that they can survive with some of the peaks and valleys that come with Wentz’s game.

But for those teams that paid attention during the final month of the season know that Wentz’s game wasn’t conducive to taking over the offense. Teams will see that he crumbled when the Colts put the ball in his hands.

Not to mention, the Colts were one of the few teams to take a chance on Wentz last offseason when many thought his career was dead. It’s hard to imagine the Colts getting any sort of value back for Wentz after already having to eat his contract.

We can talk about potential trades until Tony Stark comes back from the dead but it doesn’t mean anything unless the Colts can find an actual suitor.

It was a two-year plan all along

Even with the shocking lack of support from Ballard and Reich this offseason, there is still the chance the Colts run it back one more season because it was always the plan.

The Colts knew going into this trade that they were likely tied to Wentz for two seasons. After the 2022 campaign, they can release him without being on the hook for any dead money.

Given what we know about the relationship with Reich and Wentz, it’s possible the Colts had a two-year view on this experiment all along.

Along with that, the brass might want to see what a quarterback looks like in his second season with Reich. Considering Reich has never had the same starter for consecutive seasons, there’s a chance the brass gets convinced to see that through before cutting bait in 2023.

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