NFL
This is Carson Wentz, the starting QB for the Chiefs against the Broncos in week 18: Career stats, salary…
Patrick Mahomes will be rested for Kansas City’s last regular season game, with fellow Super Bowl champion Wentz waiting in the wings.
The Kansas City Chiefs close out their regular season against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday (kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET). While the Week 18 game is hugely important for the hosts, who will clinch a playoff place with a victory, Andy Reid’s team are already assured of being the AFC’s No. 1 seed. That means several stars are set to be rested, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Reid confirms Mahomes will sit out Chiefs vs Broncos
Reid confirmed earlier this week that Mahomes wouldn’t be playing in Denver after a busy festive period, which included being forced off after taking a hit in the Week 15 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
“It wasn’t a hard decision,” Reid explained. “I’ve been through that before. So, I’m not too worried [about Mahomes losing rhythm]. It gives the other guys an opportunity to grow. Carson will be the starting quarterback. We’ll kind of work things from there about who goes and who doesn’t go.”
Who is Carson Wentz, Mahomes' backup for the Chiefs?
The Chiefs head coach was, of course, referring to Carson Wentz, who will step into Mahomes’ shoes against the Broncos. And as far as backup quarterbacks go, Kansas City appear to be rather well off.
32-year-old Wentz not only has a huge amount of NFL experience but was also part of the Philadelphia Eagles team that won the franchise’s first ever Super Bowl in the 2018 season.
Wentz was drafted by the Eagles as the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and became an instant hit after being named as the starting quarterback for the season opener.
He became the first rookie quarterback since 1970 to win his first two games without recording a single interception. Wentz went on to start all 16 games for the Eagles setting a new league record for most completions by a rookie (379).
In his second year, Wentz was key for the Eagles side that lifted the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, but he missed the postseason after undergoing ACL surgery in December 2017. Nevertheless, his 13 regular season starts make him a Super Bowl champion.
Despite leading the league in a number of key metrics after 12 games of the 2020 regular season, Wentz was benched in favour of Jalen Hurts, who has remained Philadelphia’s starting quarterback ever since.
That led to short spells with the Indianapolis Colts, the Washington Commanders and the Los Angeles Rams, before he linked up with the Chiefs as Mahomes’ back up for the 2024 season, signing a one-year deal worth $3.325 million, with $2.2 million in full guarantees. On top of that, Wentz earns up to $1.1 million in per-game active roster bonuses.
Carson Wentz' career stats in the NFL
Over the course of his career in the NFL, Wentz has played in 97 games, 93 of which he has started, with a 47-45-1 record. The North Carolina native has averaged 230 passing yards per game (a total of 22,312), thrown 153 touchdowns (17 per season) and 67 interceptions (7.4 per season).
In his nine years in the league, Wentz has averaged 367.8 attempted passes per season, completing 230.6 of them. The majority of those figures date between 2016 and 2021, when he made 85 of his 93 starts.
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