ASHBURN — Carson Wentz could only smile Thursday when asked for his thoughts on facing the Philadelphia Eagles twice per year. As an unintended effect of his trade to the Washington Commanders, the quarterback will now have to square off against his former team regularly.
By the end of his Eagles tenure, fans in Philadelphia weren’t exactly sad to see him go.
“I’m sure I’ll hear a little bit of everything,” Wentz said. “And I embrace it. I embrace it.”
Wearing a mustard yellow jacket and burgundy-colored dress shirt, Wentz said he was excited to be back in the NFC East — the division where Wentz started his career. With Philadelphia, Wentz looked like a future star for the first few years of his career until he tore his ACL in 2017. Then, over the next few years, Wentz’s struggles mounting — leading the Eagles to bench him in 2020 before trading him to Indianapolis in the offseason.
After a year with Indianapolis, Wentz has been traded again. And the quarterback made clear he’s looking forward to his new opportunity, telling reporters at his introductory press conference that the Commanders have made him feel welcomed upon the deal.
Wentz admitted it’ll be “weird” when he returns to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time as an opponent. The NFL has yet to release its schedule so the exact date of the matchup is not known, but because Washington and Philadelphia play in the division, they’ll play each twice.
Upon the deal, Wentz even switched his jersey number back to No. 11 — the number he wore with the Eagles. In Indianapolis, he donned No. 2.
“It feels like home for me,” Wentz said.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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