Getty Carson Wentz and Brock Purdy after a San Francisco 49ers game.
Since John Lynch declared that the San Francisco 49ers could be in the market for a veteran quarterback heading into free agency, fans and pundits alike have begun to debate which option fits best. Is Carson Wentz the ideal man for the job? According to Jose Luis Sanchez IIII of All 49ers FN, the answer to that question should be a resounding no.
“So, should the 49ers sign Wentz?” Sanchez III asked. “Pass. Hard pass. It isn’t just the player that the 49ers will be bringing in with Wentz. They have to consider the person. There is a reason he has been on three different teams in three straight years. Wentz is a toxic player. Red flags are definitely surrounding him. And while he wouldn’t be the starter for the 49ers, the bad vibes he can bring just wouldn’t be worth the hassle.”
“Everytime Wentz leaves a team, no one has had his back and said anything remotely positive. It didn’t happen when he exited the Eagles and the Colts. I doubt it will happen as he finds himself leaving the Commanders now as well. There are other quarterbacks the 49ers can find in free agency that would be a better-fit personality-wise. Do not underestimate fit from a personality standpoint. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch pride themselves on players who are culture fits and not just player fits.”
After playing sporadically in 2022, the ex-Philadelphia Eagles/Indianapolis Colts/Washington Commanders quarterback is set to join his fourth team in as many years come March. After failing to stick around on three playoff-caliber teams, it will be incredibly interesting to see what the market bares for the 30-year-old signal caller.
Ron Rivera Thanked Carson Wentz at the NFL Scouting Combine
Though he was released from the Commanders heading into free agency, Ron Rivera did have some nice things to say about his former starting quarterback at the 2023 NFL Combine.
“Well, you know, there’s a lot of things that we have to look at as far as our team is concerned,” Rivera said via NBC Sports. “Everything from the cap to the position itself, and the situational circumstances we went through last year. He’s a heck of a young man. He’s a solid man, and I want to wish him the best.”
“I really do appreciate everything he did for us, and the opportunity that he had coming here. He did the best he could, and we really appreciate that as well.”
After being named the Commanders’ starting quarterback heading into the 2022 NFL season, Wentz only appeared in eight games with seven starts and lost time to Taylor Heinicke due to injury and poor play.
Matt Barrows Names an Intriguing San Francisco 49ers QB Option
While it remains to be seen how much a veteran backup quarterback signed by the 49ers would play in 2023, as they would presumably slot in as QB3 once Brock Purdy is fully healthy, San Francisco may opt to target an older option who has a more comparable skill set to Trey Lance, the team’s presumed Week 1 starter. Fortunately, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tabbed an option he believes could be an ideal fit for the job of ushering Lance into the next stage of his career on an appearance on KNBR’s “Wednesday with Papa & Lund” show: Marcus Mariota.
“The Matt Ryan, Andy Dalton, Sam Darnold — Marcus Mariota is now available,” Barrows said. “He would seem to be a really good fit if Trey Lance is your starter going into the regular season. He’s a guy that can run an offense very similar to the way that Trey runs it.”
Initially drafted with the second-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Mariota began his career as a starter with the Tennessee Titans before losing his job to Ryan Tannehill. From there, he spent two years as a backup with the Raiders before becoming a starter once more for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 before the team’s playoff hopes were dashed, and they transitioned over to third-round rookie passer Desmond Ridder from Cincinnati.
Is there a starting job available for Mariota in free agency? Would he be happy to take a step back and spend 2023 helping Lance? The answer to that question could define just how realistic of an option Mariota is for the 49ers.