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More details about the Carson Wentz departure from the Indianapolis Colts surfaced over the weekend.
Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported on March 9 when the Colts dealt Wentz to the Washington Commanders that “some inside the Indianapolis Colts’ West 56th Street facility were finished with the Carson Wentz experiment.”
But the word “some” may not have included Colts head coach Frank Reich.
ESPN staff writer John Keim reported on March 19 that the first call Commander head coach Ron Rivera received following the Wentz trade was from Colts head coach Frank Reich.
“Frank was tremendous,” Rivera told Keim. “After we made the trade, he said, ‘You’re gonna love this guy … He’s been a good person first and foremost, I want you to know that.’
“My intention was to reach out to him, but he called to congratulate me.”
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Frank Reich Spoke to Ron Rivera About Carson Wentz Before Trade
Keim also reported Rivera spoke with Reich to receive a balanced scouting report on Wentz prior to the deal. In those conversations, Reich was very complementary of Wentz.
“It was very interesting,” Rivera told Keim. “When you talk to certain people, talk to some coaches he’s had in the past that I know well and listen to what they have to say, it was contradictory to what was happening.”
Based on this report, it sounds as though Reich would have preferred to keep Wentz another season in Indianapolis. After all, how many coaches call an opposing coach to congratulate him on trading for his quarterback?
However, it’s important to note that Rivera also spoke to former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson on Wentz. Like Reich, Pederson reportedly “praised Wentz, extolling his work ethic and saying he wants to please people.”
But Pederson and Wentz aren’t known for having a great relationship. NFL Insider Adam Schefter said during an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic in February 2021 that the coach and quarterback went “eight, nine, 10 weeks” without even speaking to each other during the 2020 season — Wentz’s last year in Philadelphia.
Perhaps the rocky Pederson-Wentz relationship was overblown, and Rivera received the full story of what happened with the Eagles from Pederson this month.
But the alternative is Pederson, and maybe Reich too, gave Rivera an honest evaluation on Wentz, and Rivera chose to publicly focus on the positives from those conversations.
Darius Leonard Tweets Support for Carson Wentz
Colts linebacker and captain Darius Leonard made his feelings for Wentz more public than Reich has since the trade.
After the Commanders acquired Wentz, Leonard tweeted his support for the former Colts quarterback.
Social media activity among NFL players can be overblown at times in the media. The fact remains, though, that Leonard probably wouldn’t have tweeted a goodbye message to Wentz without already having a lot of respect for the quarterback.
At the end of the day, the same can be said for a coach who calls to congratulate another coach for acquiring a player. That’s respect.
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