Jared Goff vs. Carson Wentz: Who has had the bigger fall from grace?
Jared Goff and Carson Wentz were both seen as elite quarterbacks coming out of college and into the 2016 NFL Draft. That belief held true as the former was taken with the first overall pick and the latter went next to the Philadelphia Eagles.
At the start, both were overwhelming successes. Goff made Pro Bowls in 2017 and 2018, while Wentz was an All-Pro in 2017. The Eagles even won the Super Bowl in that All-Pro season, however, Wentz didn't get to play due to injury.
Goff even went on to quarterback in the Super Bowl during the 2018 season, as his former team, the LA Rams, fell to the New England Patriots 3-13. By many accounts, both were off to fast and promising starts in the NFL.
Fast-forward to this season and you may find it surprising to learn that Goff was shipped off to the Detroit Lions, while Wentz was given up on by the Eagles and traded to the Indianapolis Colts. Neither made the postseason and the latter is likely to be cut or traded once again.
Today is the one-year anniversary of the Eagles fleecing the Colts in the Carson Wentz trade.
This is a sharp contrast to where both stood just a few years ago. Which leads us to the unfortunate question: who has had the steeper fall?
Jared Goff in a far more hopeless situation
Wentz has been in the headlines recently as the Colts are reportedly ready to move on from him as their starting quarterback. But rumors also point towards another team giving him a shot to start. He has just completed a season throwing 27 touchdowns on only seven interceptions en route to a 9-8 record. The final game against the Jacksonville Jaguars was ugly, but the Colts had a winning record regardless.
Then there is Goff. He was sent to Detroit so the Rams could get a better quarterback in Matthew Stafford. The latter then led the team to a Super Bowl win this past Sunday. This suggests that the team didn't think Goff had quite enough to push them over the edge.
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Jared Goff was a 2-time Pro Bowl selection, helped lead the Rams to three playoffs, including a Super Bowl appearance and was statistically the Rams' best quarterback since Kurt Warner.
And the Rams still decided to upgrade because they thought he was holding their roster back.
2021 was essentially a wasted year for the Lions. They went 3-13-1 with a 0-10-1 start. Goff finished with 3,245 yards and 19 touchdowns in 14 games. They are now stuck with him in 2022 thanks to his $30.5 million dead cap value. Yet that drops to $10 million in 2023. Barring a shocking turnaround perhaps resulting in a playoff berth in 2022, Goff will also likely be cut and will have to seek a new team.
Wentz is a little further down the road on a path that Goff is likely to take as well. The former signed a four-year, $128 million ($70 million gauranteed) contract extension in 2019 which kicked in for the 2021 season. Entering the 2022 campaign, the Colts are now in a better financial situation to offload him.
His base salary drops to $15 million, which means he can now be traded or released as per a report by sports journalist Chris Mortensen.
Here’s @mortreport on ESPN saying the Colts are preparing to move on from Carson Wentz https://t.co/Ymg9L4bcOm
On the other hand, Goff's own four-year extension, came out to $134 million with $110 million guaranteed, which he signed with the Rams in 2019. Two seasons on from that lucrative deal, LA won a Super Bowl without him. He now finds himself on one of the worst teams in football in the Lions, and appears to have no future there. It does not get much worse than that, other than falling out of the league entirely.
Neither Wentz nor Goff seem destined to fulfill their potential as championship-caliber quarterbacks. As things currently stand, it's hard to imagine either making it back to a Super Bowl.
Super Bowl appearances leaderboard, active QBs
2
Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes
1
Rodgers, Stafford, Ryan, Burrow, Goff, Garoppolo
0
Jackson, Prescott, Allen, Herbert, Carr, Watson, Tannehill, Murray, Cousins, Mayfield, Wentz
It's hard to get there even once.
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